According to a 2012 survey conducted by Boston Consulting Group & World Federation of People Management,
“Companies adept at recruiting enjoyed 3.5 times the revenue growth and 2.0 times the profit margin of their less capable peers”
In the quest to select A-players, companies have gone to great lengths to identify and recruit the best. ‘The best’ or so we believe have gone through a series of assessments. Some of these assessments include mundane handwriting analysis to sophisticated personality tests. For those that are interested, the most reliable predictor is Multi-measure tests*, a combination of cognitive ability, personality and interests.
Should companies adopt or continue with multi-measure tests or other tests? Let’s consider what I am about to share with you. Recently Google a superpower in big data and analytics did its own internal study to find out what was the best assessment tool in predicting job performance. Interestingly, Google determined that GPA was not a good predictor of performance unless the candidates are fresh out of college (less than 2 years). And even more interestingly, for seasoned professionals, behavioral interviews based on consistent set of questions that candidates did in specific situations was the best predictor of performance.
I am not advocating that we all should suddenly abandon our tools and assessment and adopt behavioral interviews. On the contrary, we should spend our resources and time efficiently. Behavioral interviews may be the answer. By using behavioral interviews as one of our arsenal of tests, it may allow us to be more agile and nimble in selecting A-players and still be ahead of our competitors.
To implement a behavioral interview start from what you want to measure. Typically, it’s ability, skills and knowledge required to do the job effectively. For example, if customer service is one of the requirements of the job then ask the candidate what actions he or she has taken in dealing with customers, handling customer complaints etc. During the course of the interview, you will discover that some of the actions were successful and some resulted in failure. A pattern will emerge which will determine whether the candidate is competent for the role.
Involve line managers in drafting behavioral interview questions. These questions will have context and add value to the business. This will establish buy-in and acceptance from line managers. After all, they are the ones that will conduct the interviews too.
Include questions that ask candidates about what makes them tick and show up to work everyday. For example, if you put a candidate that likes interacting with people in a customer service role, he or she will enjoy work and be willing to go the extra mile to achieve success for the company.
Measure your recruitment results in terms of effectiveness. Manager’s satisfaction of new recruits and performance results of new hires are excellent indicators. Numbers don’t lie. You should see an improvement in getting A-players.
Despite your best efforts, be forgiving you may still make mistakes when hiring. The key is to act swiftly and part amicably.
Suvit Chansrichawla, next-generation HR consultant under the brand Serendipity&Co., partner of the Curve Group in Thailand.
*Based on data from Frank L. Schmidt in 2013 as an update to “The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology” research done by Schmidt and Hunter (1998)
