www.assess.co.nz

7 Steps for Hiring The Right Person First Time

A systematic approach to selecting the best possible workforce

Prepared For: Chinese Delegation

Presenter: Rob McKay MA(Hons) Organisational Psychologist

www.assess.co.nz

The Challenge

Businesses have three opportunities to do something about the performance of their people…•At the front door (Selection – Hire Tough, Manage Easy)

•After hiring (Difficult & expensive to train your way out of a bad hiring decision)

•Show them the back door (The most difficult solution – expensive in time, moral,

money)

www.assess.co.nz

Traditional Hiring Problems• Failure to define position (KSAME)

• We hire on emotional attraction

• Hire on experience instead of attitude & ability

• One-on-one unstructured interviews are the norm

• Fail to train interviewers

• Don’t get in-depth references

• Don’t measure Personality, Attitude or Mental Ability

(The roots of the tree)

• We panic – Hire best of bad bunch

• Is replacement needed – Change strategy

www.assess.co.nz

What Is A Job?

Every Job Comprises KSAs

KNOWLEDGE – CAN they do it? Trained or Learnt

SKILLS – How WELL they do it? Proficiency, Experience

ATTITUDES – How WILL they do it? Personality Characteristics

ABILITIES – Mental & Physical Learning ability “How quick do they “get it”?

Can they lift 30Kgs?

www.assess.co.nz

www.assess.co.nz

Most Managers Hire on Knowledge, Skill &

Experience

BUT

Terminate on Attitudes and Mental Abilities!

www.assess.co.nz

The 7 Step System

Job Description

Recruiting Initial Screening –

Application Form

Phone Interview

Profiling

Reference Check

Main Interview

2nd Interview - work sample tests

www.assess.co.nz

Analyse the job• Develop A List Of CORE KSAs (Competencies)...

What Knowledge? Learned Skill (Learnt)

How Skillful? – Expertise & Experience (Learnt)

What Type of Personality & Attitude? (Innate)

What Mental/Physical Abilities? (Innate)

What does it take to be successful in this position?

Why have people failed in this position?

What distinguises excellence from average?

www.assess.co.nz

Recruiting – The Best U Can Hire Is Only The Best Of Those That Apply!

• Do you need to replace? (New strategy)

• Cast the net wide (Take a Marketing Approach)

• Reach & attract the best people (Target Your Marketing)

• Recruitment is a continuous process • Make it easy to apply (Web, Kiosk, Phone, Our APS)

• Offer introduction incentives to current staff• Think outside the box (Type of person, gender, age,etc)

www.assess.co.nz

The Application FormFirst Screen out

A test in itself (Clarity, Cleanliness, Legibility,

Experience, Education, Following Instructions,

Supporting evidence (references).

•Check for illegal, or discriminatory items

•Try to get it completed on site

•Put the JD on the back of application forms

•Require every applicant to complete one!

www.assess.co.nz

Telephone InterviewSecond Screen out

• Tests for communications skills.• Ask about last job, why left/leaving, what is

the attraction to this job?• Clarify hours of work, salary, starting ability. • Clarify “Holes” In the application form• Give a realistic job preview.• Keep it brief – (management time)

Remember You Are Selecting Out

www.assess.co.nz

Time To Check Out The RootsThird Screen Out – Psychometric Testing

• The right personality fit is essential for success in any job role – Think about Sales or Customer Service• Lay people label personality as “social presence” “John has a lot of personality”

As psychologists we take a broader perspective…

That which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation (Cattell 65)

The overall combination of characteristics that capture the unique nature of a person as that person reacts & interacts with others (Wood 98)

www.assess.co.nz

The Theory Of Personality

• Hereditary or Environmental? (The nature/nurture debate)

• Is personality stable – Can you change? (Fold your arms)

• The Big 5 Taxonomy (OCEAN) • Personality is a good predictor of

“contextual” performance• Profiling for specific job personality traits

dramatically improves productivity and retention (intrinsic/extrinsic motivation)

www.assess.co.nz

Applicants Let You See What They Want You To See

What They Show You• Courtesy/Friendliness• Wonderful Resumes• Excellent References• Sparkling Interview

Technique

FRUITS OF THE TREE

What They Hide From U• Slow Learning Ability• Poor Focus/Concentration• Conflict Creaters• Wasteful Work Habits• Lack of Motivation• Bucker of Rules/Guidelines• Inferior Communication

Skills

ROOTS OF THE TREE

www.assess.co.nz

Adding Value By Profiling

• Research shows that personality & Abilities profiling can improve the accuracy of hiring decisions

• Personality is a good predictor of contextual performance (Go to extra mile!)

• Personality tests used in conjunction with a structured interview provide a base for a powerful selection system

www.assess.co.nz

Psychometric ModelingInternational SOS Case Study

• Identify Top Performers

• Identify Average or Bottom Performers

• All Contact Centre employees were profiled

(significant differences from the means)

• Then are grouped by performance(High/Low) and

analysed by Personality Characteristics

• Customised the profiling instrument to “fit” the

Competencies of the role

www.assess.co.nz

Pre-Screen Psych Testing (Third Screen Out)

• JobCLUES Tests for Random Response, Attitudes, Personality, Abilities, Tasks

• Inexpensive – Unlimited license available • Screens out bad attitude, poor work ethic etc,

before wasting management time on lengthy interviews.

• Internet capable – You control process• Tells you whether to Whoa or Go • Include interview Questions around

weaknesses

www.assess.co.nz

Reference Checking

• Use a pre-designed form, and pre-alert referee• Ask candidates permission if reference not in

Application Form.

• Often used to validate ones own decision to hire• Usually unstructured (Once again, are we

measuring apples with apples?)• Reference against PFs/Weaknesses in Profile• Try and seek different references than on

application form (why)

ALWAYS REFERENCE CHECK!

www.assess.co.nz

The Main STRUCTURED Interview

• Based on the core KSAs of the job• Questions are behavioural/Situational

based• All candidates receive same Qs

(prompting)• Multi-rated – 2 persons• Take notes (think SOAR)• Transfer concensus score immediately

www.assess.co.nz

What The Research Says?

• It is common for interviewers to make a judgment about an applicant in the first 3-5 minutes of the interview

• Other research shows that 33% of interviewers reach a decision in the first part of the interviewer

“tendency to rush judgment”

www.assess.co.nz

Interview Bias

• Similar To Me Effect (like & respect those who are like ourselves)

• Halo Effect (Initial positive/negative influences following impressions)

• Leniency Effect (Personal Standards)

• Contrast Effect (Rate Applicant, not KSAs)

• Stereotyping & Prejudice (Race, Gender, Handicaps)

www.assess.co.nz

Some Added Thoughts

• Establish rapport• Take notes• Control the interview – Avoid small talk• One Q at a time – One probe• Listen, Listen, Listen• Observe body actions• Allow candidate to question U (at the end)• Don’t oversell the position• Selection is a two-way process• Inform when decision will be made

www.assess.co.nz

Work Sample Test

Mini work sample of what is required in the job

At what stage in the selection cycle?(Sales back – Receptionist front)

Examples: Sales presentation

Telephone test

www.assess.co.nz

Keys To Successful Selection

Systemise, Systemise, Systemise your process

Cast your net wide

Know what KSAs you are looking for

Use application forms

What’s “under the water?” Use profiling

Reference check – be diligent

Conduct multi rated structured interviews

Use job sample test (if applicable)

Cover yourself legally

Don’t select best of bad bunch – Start again

www.assess.co.nz

Why Teach A Turkey To Climb A Tree – Wouldn’t It Be Easier

To Hire A Squirrel?

We are on the web @ www. assess.co.nz

Download our eBook “Hire The Best – Avoid The Rest” at www.7steps4hiring.com