A recent study revealed that a staggering 76% of executives do not believe they have the right people throughout their company to execute their business strategy.
CEOs, CHROs and other business leaders I speak with feel the pain when they can’t find the right people or keep the talent they have. One CEO client described finding and keeping good people as a “life or death” risk for his business. Desperate times don’t need to resort to desperation hiring. A lack of alignment causes great pain in organizations. Alignment starts by putting the right people in every role.
The good news is that leaders who believe they have the right people to execute their business strategy are experiencing 42% less turnover than those lacking the right talent.
Here are a few ways you can align people to jobs with the right people in the right seats:
Get fully aligned on what the job is before you determine the candidate requirements
Before jumping in to describe the years of experience or education required, start by getting really clear on what the job functions are. What will this person be doing that’s important and common to the role? It’s more important look for equivalent experience, skills and the right behavioral and cognitive match for the job than whether or not the candidate has a degree. Make sure all those involved in the hiring process are fully aligned on the position and the candidate qualifications.
For more than a decade IBM has been eliminating the need for a degree as a job requirement for many of its jobs. According to its CHRO, about 50% of US jobs no longer require a degree. They are more concerned with the skills, experience and fit for the job and their culture. NEC had this practice in place in the 1990s for just about all US positions including at the leadership level.
Select for fit aligned with all key aspects of the job
Having the right background on paper won’t matter if there’s a poor fit with the job duties. Assessment instruments appropriate for selection such as the behavioral and cognitive tools provided by The Predictive Index provide rich information on the candidate and how well they align to the position profile. For instance, a sales position may call for someone with more of a “hunter” profile than a “farmer.”
Understand fit with the team, the manager and the culture
Beyond aligning to the job, explore how the candidate might fit with the manager, the team and the company’s culture. Here’s a resource for insights on how different styles lead, work and operate within a team. Consider if you need more of the same types of styles on a team or if greater diversity of styles might bring some balance and fill gaps. Your questions should certainly explore a cultural fit and alignment with the organization’s values.
Sign up for a free trial of the PI Hire 2.0 hiring solution while you can to help you take the guesswork out of hiring!
Attract Diverse Candidates
You may think you are already struggling to fill positions on teams with qualified, available candidates, yet alone those with diverse backgrounds. However, you may be overlooking great opportunities to attract and retain diverse talent and create more inclusive cultures. Consider practices you can take to uncover bias and gaps in your current talent acquisition approaches. Expand your view of diversity beyond visible traits of gender and race to include those with disabilities, the LGBTQ community and multiple generations. Remove any non-essential requirements from your job postings that may serve to discourage diverse applicants. Expand your recruitment sources to add other organizations, geographies and educational institutions.
Be extra diligent when hiring leaders and managers
Leaders and managers have a direct and profound impact not only on business results, but also on culture. It’s easier to get a sense of a candidate’s background and experience than it is to ascertain their leadership style. Understanding the styles of the team members may also reveal how different leaders can align with and shape the results and performance of the existing team. Structured interview questions, pre-hire behavioral and cognitive assessments and careful reference checking can come together to reveal traits that can make or break parts of your business.
For heaven’s sake, train interviewers to interview effectively!
Come on now – we’ve all been candidates being interviewed by people who had horrible selection skills. Years of interviewing experience doesn’t necessarily translate to doing it well. It’s a mystery to me why we leave critical hiring decisions in the hands of people who have not been properly trained. Train leaders, managers and talent acquisition professionals to probe deeply to understand a candidate’s experience and style using structured interviews, explore the individual’s motivations as they move through their career and tap into the rich data a valid behavioral assessment provides. IBM currently requires all those involved in the interview and selection process to be certified in the “Select for IBM” program. The training reinforces looking for skills over degrees and eliminating some of the bias that can appear in the selection process.
It’s time to power up the Talent Acquisition strategy, team and tools!
It’s never been more important to have a highly qualified, professional talent acquisition team, strategy and tools in place. No longer is the “recruiter” simply an entry level role for the Human Resources department. It’s time to up the game and get beyond “post and pray”.
These tips combine methods and tools to help you fit the right people in the right seat, aligned with your organization’s values. And yes, I’m passionate about assessments! I’ve used them for decades and would not ever hire anyone to work for or with me without them. I included Predictive Index solutions into the Strategic Imperatives solutions because I experienced the power of these tools and analytics as a PI client. Interested in checking these out? Use this link to take a Behavioral Assessment for yourself. It will take just about 6 minutes and you’ll find great value in the insights!
Here are some other really useful (and free) resources to check out:
Download this Guide to Structured Interviews e-book to power up your interview process with these key steps
Sources: Beyond more years of experience than I often admit to, here are several sources used to inform this blog and well worth looking at:
The State of Talent Optimization 2022 Report. 300+ executives reveal the cost of the “Big Quit” and the top drivers of employee retention.
Why IBM Chooses Skills Over Degrees. A Conversation With Nickle LaMoreaux
Chief Human Resources Officer for IBM, CHRO CONVERSATIONS, GALLUP, APRIL 13, 2021
Woods, Arthur, The Great Resignation Doesn’t Have to Threaten Your DE&I Efforts, Harvard Business Review, September 1, 2021