Avoiding bad decisions in new hires: 3 tips
Because employees often change jobs at the turn of the year, companies often have many vacancies to fill in different teams in the new year. They then face the difficult task of replacing highly valued employees - and the question of who will best fill their role now that they are gone.
The job merry-go-round is spinning fast in quite a few companies - skilled workers are in demand everywhere. Anyone looking for a job is likely to quickly find in the current situation. But new employees are not always a good fit for the employer: Annoying - and expensive - wrong decisions in new hires are then the result. Hogan Assessments, a leading provider of personality assessments, has therefore examined common mistakes made by HR departments during the hiring process. From this, the following three recommendations were derived to avoid bad hires.
Tip No. 1: Turn away from the clone myth
Employers, when a position becomes vacant, want to replace the person who left, not their personality, or so the common assumption goes. But that's not always the case. When looking for a replacement for a valued team member, HR professionals often struggle with two conflicting schools of thought: Should they select someone who is as similar as possible to the person who left, or opt for a candidate who is the exact opposite? Personality is a key component in both approaches Short: While it may be tempting to seek an identical replacement, this can lead to a limitation of potential and a lack of innovation in the team. Therefore, to successfully find a replacement for a departed employee, the first step should be to analyze the qualities a candidate needs to perform the role at a high level. Then, one should narrow this list down to a selection of three indispensable characteristics and several useful additional attributes. Basing selection decisions on who has the greatest number of indispensable attributes to successfully fill the role helps companies avoid the clone trap.
Tip No. 2: The superstar problem
A "superstar" is someone who is a top performer on a team or in a company. When recruiting, employers often instinctively tend to look for the most qualified and accomplished candidate in the applicant pool and offer that person the job. But beware: this approach can have negative consequences for the team that this superstar joins. "A superstar's presence affects the performance of other employees around him, and often negatively. The mere proximity of a superstar - whether on the same team or not - can affect team performance," said Dr. Ryne Sherman, chief science officer at Hogan Assessments. The superstar effect is a counterintuitive phenomenon. One would assume that adding one particularly high-performing member to the team would encourage everyone else to rise to the challenge and try just as hard. But if the skills gap is too wide, others may feel fearful, intimidated, inferior, or even
Feel inferior. The superstar effect can bring out employees' insecurities, causing them to look for other ways to get ahead.
Superstars can be incredibly empowering to a team. To successfully integrate superstars into an existing workforce, it is essential for the company in question to define competition. Especially competitive employees want to compete with everyone, but this inclination can be directed outward. This protects team members from competing with each other. Employers should do their best to redirect the superstar's competitive nature toward something that benefits the company as a whole and its reputation, without discouraging or upsetting their other team members.
Tip No. 3: Consideration of indispensable skills in personnel selection
Although each applicant brings his or her own distinctive strengths, there are indispensable skills that he or she should possess. The three universal skills that should be key in personnel selection are interpersonal skills, the ability to learn, and work ethic. Seeking applicants with these skills strengthens any organization and helps avoid selecting employees with weak problem-solving, self-organization and interpersonal skills. When filling a vacancy within a team, it is central to find employees who get along well with other team members, have a strong thirst for knowledge and enjoy learning, are self-motivated, and have a strong work ethic. These traits are the foundation of any good personnel selection and are easily overlooked during the interview process due to impressive results or professional achievements.
Personality tests against wrong decisions
Personality is important in personnel decisions. Personality tests can help streamline the hiring process. "Scientifically based personality tests can identify applicants who fit your company, meet the job requirements and perform at a high level," summarizes Dr. Ryne Sherman.
Source: Hogan Assessments
