What Makes the Best Candidate?

Steve Lowisz Author, Educator, International Speaker

Presented By:

Webinar Series Sponsored By:

March 13th 2013

Review the primary reasons employees fail and eventually get fired

Learn the 4 key dimensions of every candidate and employee – What are the building blocks of the candidate’s DNA?

Understand the flaws with common recruiting/interviewing practices

Learn how to improve the questions you ask that will increase the odds of long-term success

In this WebinarYou will…

Is Attitude more Important than

Skill?

Mark Murphy’s “Hiring for Attitude”:States 46% of newly hired employees will fail

within 18 months, attributed to non-technical or

non-skill related items.

• Coachability• Emotional Intelligence• Motivation• Temperament• Technical Competence

Skill Vs. Attitude

89%

11%

Example: “Rudy”• Did he posses the

right attitude, focus, dedication?

• Did he posses the right skills?

• Did he posses the right abilities?

• Was he considered an “A” player?

Attitude did not take the place of skill and

ability.

Skill Vs. Attitude – The Test

Why are most employees fired for attitude?Because we focus on skills!

Think about position intake sessions with your hiring manager – what is the focus?

3-5 or more “required” skills • 3 years of sales experience• 2 years managing sales reps• Proven experience exceeding quota

Skill Vs. Attitude

Reality:

• Most recruiters focus on a candidate’s experience - skills

• Most recruiting processes drive transactional behavior – “Let me know what you think of this resume”

• Most recruiting processes/interviews do not focus on a complete understanding of an individual’s multiple dimensions

Skill Vs. Attitude

• Skills/

Experience

• Attitude

• Competency

• Culture Fit

The 4 Dimensions

The 4 Dimensions Defined

• Skills/Experience – Does the candidate have the training/education to do the job?

• Attitude – Has the candidate shown they want to do the job?

• Competency - Does the candidate have the ability/behaviors to do the job? (Rudy)

• Culture Fit – Does the candidate do the job the way the company does or wants to?

Skill determines fit for the function

Competency determines fit for the job

Attitude determines fit for the career

Culture determines fit for the company

Competency and

cultureSkill & Attitude MUST

be matched with Competency & Culture

The purpose and importance of asking the rightquestions

Effective candidate interviews must…

Account for Skill, Attitude, Competency and Culture

Be consistent in what they measure and who is measuring

Be thorough – not just a focus on technical skills of role

Have an associated answer guide

Why do so many Recruiters and Hiring Managers miss the mark?

Skill, Attitude, Competency and Culture make up a candidate’s “DNA” Candidate selection should only occur after fully understanding each of these attributes Interviewing techniques are supposed to highlight “soft skills”, but fall short in real application

Most Recruiters are conditioned to focus on skill only

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

So what are you looking for?• Can you identify the 3-5 must have skills of the role?

(Not years of experience!)• Skills Example: Presentation

Through reading books, taking classes and practicing, it is possible to learn how to give effective presentations. Presentation skills are more easily absorbed by some people than by others, but a presentation is still a task one can learn how to perform. Presentation skills may be part of a larger competency such as communication.

• Can you identify the most important competencies/behaviors to be successful in the role?

• Competency Example: Communication Many people refer to their strong communication skills, but

communication is really a competency that relies on a combination of certain skills, behavior and knowledge. To communicate effectively, for example, a person may need to understand cultural diversity and behave with patience.

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

So What are You Looking For?

• What are the top 3-5 specific attitudes you are looking for?

• What are the prevalent attitudes of your top performers? Bottom?

• Attitudes are most commonly position-specific Good Attitudes:

Poor Attitudes:Caring?

CondescendingPersistent?

PlacatingObjective?

Overwhelming

• What are the key cultural aspects/values of the organization?

• What are your company’s core values?• Bank – vs. – Google• Open to change, speed to execution, etc.

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

So What Do You Ask?

Skill and Competencies are usually asked together:• Ask the candidate what they accomplished• Ask the candidate how they accomplished it

Attitude and Culture are usually asked together:• Ask the candidate how they handled a situation• Ask the candidate why they handled a situation that

way

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates

1.Identify the Key Attitude

2.Identify differential situation – pro/con

3.Ask the question

4.Leave it hanging

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates

1. Identify the Key Attitude• Self-Directed

2. Identify differential situation – pro/con• High performers – proactively

acquired new skills• Low performers – Often throw their

hands up, resist, and complain

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates

3. Ask the question• Could you tell me about a time you

lacked the skills or knowledge to complete an assignment?

4. Let it hang• Could you tell me about a time you

lacked the skills or knowledge to complete an assignment, and how you overcame it? NO!

The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions

• Gaining full insight improves Candidate’s likelihood of long-term success

• Thorough assessment of Skill, Competency, Culture, and Attitude will save time and resources in the long-run, increase RIO

• Make sure you understand the required attitude and company core values

• When interviewing candidates, keep consistency across all interviewers - what are the skills, competencies and attitudes you are seeking?

Recruiter of the past:more HR and a lot more transactional

The important of looking at Skill, Attitude, Competency, & Culture evenly every time

The Balancing Act

Questions?

What Makes the Best Candidate? Measuring Skill, Attitude, Competency, and Culture

Steve Lowisz Author, Educator, & International Speaker

Presented By:

Webinar Series Sponsored By:

March 13th 2013