If your product had a 60% failure rate, alarm bells would be going off. You’d be concerned that customers would stop buying your product. And you’d take immediate action.
What if your hiring process failed 60% of the time? Would you start trying to fix the problems that led to so many new hires who weren’t working out? This is not a theoretical question. The latest research indicates that a significant number of new hires have failed to meet expectations.
Cause of failure
C. Lee Smith, workforce behavior expert and author of the book “Hire Smarter, Sell More!” said: “The most common failure starts with the job description. Most managers do not understand what makes their teams unique and more likely to succeed in their company environment. So, the standard description showing the same set of skills, traits and requirements attracts the wrong people for the job.”
Hiring for job fit
In a recent Checkr.com survey, 72% of employers reported difficulty in hiring in 2023. And only 34% indicated that they will be able to hire the team members they want in 2024.
Some managers are rolling back their requirements for college degrees to appeal to a broader applicant pool. They are being more intentional about listing required technical and soft skills in their job description.
Unfortunately, applicants will almost always claim that they possess the skills you are looking for. The truth is that 64% of employees have stretched the truth on their resumes. As a hiring manager, it will be up to you to ensure they have the talent to do the job. These aspects can be measured through a psychometric assessment such as TeamTrait.
Specifically, you should consider whether your top candidate will be a good fit with the customers you sell to and whether there will be good chemistry between the potential new hire and their supervisor. If these relationships don’t work, you’ll be spending your valuable management time trying to improve them.
The danger of relying too heavily on the interview
“The second most common failure is relying solely on a gut feeling or being blown away at the interview,” Smith said. “But that may be the best version of the candidate that you never see again once they've been hired.”
The problem for the hiring manager is that many candidates, even if they interview well, only show what they want you to see. This makes it difficult to predict low productivity or toxic behavior based on the interview alone.
A great psychometric assessment tool can reveal work and motivational traits about candidates who interview well. If you like other aspects about a candidate who may exhibit toxic behavior in specific work situations, you can hire them. The assessment results will give you a heads-up about what to expect, and you can discuss those tendencies with them during the hiring process.
What candidates are looking for
During your recruiting process, you want to be sure what you are offering is a good fit with the candidate’s expectations. When a potential candidate considers working for your company, compensation is key.
Being transparent about your culture and the potential for skills development and promotion is also important. Doing so will help ensure that your new hire not only thrives, but also stays with you.
