Hiring 101: Finding the Right Person for the Right Job
| 28 | Jul 2010 |
|
|
CREDIT: Dreamstime
|
If you’re lucky enough to be hiring employees, then you must be doing something right. Make sure you stay on track by choosing workers whose personalities and attitude fit your company’s culture.
These hiring strategies will help you weed out the wannabes and zero in on the shining stars. [See also: Hiring Your First Employee ]
Focus on potential
Nothing is more important in a new hire than personality. While having the right skill set may seem essential, the fact is, skills can be acquired. Personalities cannot.
“Social intelligence – being able to navigate social situations and work well with others – is very important,” said Maynard Brusman, a San Francisco-based psychologist and owner of consulting firm Working Resources.
Brusman advised judging interviewees’ social skills during the interview. If they can’t make eye contact and don’t elaborate while answering questions, you may have a problem on your hands.
Let them interview you
To help determine if your prospective candidate has the right personality for your particular job , it’s important to help them understand the company’s work environment, said
“It’s important to be open and honest about what it’s going to be like to work for your company. You want to give a realistic preview of the work environment,” Brusman told BusinessNewsDaily.
Fit the personality to the job
You may not want a self centered narcissist tending to elderly patients in your nursing home, but it might not be a bad idea to hire one to model your new clothing line.
“What kind of person you hire depends on culture of organization and the kind of job,” Brusman said. “A great person with all kinds of skills may be good fit for one and poor fit for another simply based on their personality type.”
Ask the right questions
You can’t come right out and ask someone if they’re a jerk . But, you can ask questions that will help you figure it out on your own.
“If you ask someone why they left their last job and they blame someone else, it’s important to follow up with another question,” said Paul Harvey, a professor of management at the University of New Hampshire. “If they continue to blame external forces for their problems, you may want to look for another employee.
Think of your other employees
You have a legal obligation to provide your other employees with a safe and healthy work environment. If a potential employee gives any indication that they could be aggressive or have an anger problem, you should find someone else.
Employees who have feelings of entitlement – which translates into unreasonable expectations in terms of advancement, rewards and compensation – are often the ones who take their disappointment out on others in anger. Keep an eye out for those personality types, Harvey warned.
Consider testing
Personality tests can help you determine when a person may have personality issues that are hard to detect, Harvey said.
They are available online or through staffing companies. Just be sure you understand how to read and evaluate the results before spending time and money testing prospective employees.