... And what you can do about IT
How I was able to increase decision-making reliability in recruiting by 65%, in a simple, quick and cost-effective way ...
In this blog post, find out what I learned in my time as an expat manager and head of HR for a global trading company, what effects decision uncertainty can have in HR questions, and why I only want to recruit the best.
Companies are full of average performers. They are the biggest threat. They can add value, but they can't take you to the next level.
Richard Fairbank, CEO of Capital One
I have been there: complacency and overconfidence
I believed 150% in a shortlisted candidate, that she/he was the right fit. I signed her/him up - and after only a few weeks or months it turned out that I had endorsed a wrong choice. How could this happen to me?
Because ...
I had allowed myself to be blinded by well-made, flawless application documents, good motivations for the application, or pleasantly told stories.
Their confident manner, friendly appearance, polished manner of expression, pleasant handshake and other factors had led me to reach an emotional and subjective pre-judgement. In other words: Because I liked someone more than the other applicants.
Conclusion: All that glittered was not gold. We sometimes let ourselves be guided too quickly by our subjective first impressions and arrive at a preconceived opinion that we only hope to see confirmed in further interviews. Although ... one or two valuable hints would have sufficed to question a candidacy again and ultimately make a better choice.
Executives spend 1% of their time recruiting and the rest of their time managing their recruiting mistakes.
Richard Fairbank, CEO of Capital One
Doesn’t this somewhat exaggerated statement make you wonder? You say: Too bad, it happens? Sure: To err is human, but repeated, negligent actions or omissions are unforgivable and can cost you greatly.
Learn from experience and recruit more safely
I still remember my very instructive years as a young HR manager for an international trading group, working for their Swiss headquarters and around 50 expatriates in 12 Asian countries.
Sometimes the responsibility of sharing 100% of personnel decisions seemed too great. After all, they had not only a family dimension, but usually also a considerable financial scope. From simply handling the entire moving costs of an expat family, their annual home leaves or an unexpected premature return to their country of origin and a costly reassignment at the expense of the company.
But above all: I needed to be able to rely on my European managers in Asia, several thousand kilometers away from the corporate headquarters. To know confidently that the selected person would stay in the Far East for my employer company for at least 4-5 years.
Confidence in decision-making was the be-all and end-all of any personnel recruitment and assignment. Only the best were good enough for me then (as they are now).
Quality is not an accident; it is always the result of strenuous thought."
John Ruskin, British writer, painter, art historian and social philosopher
Engaging headhunters helped me carry perhaps 50% of this decision-making burden. But even my own, sometimes quite sophisticated interview techniques did not lead to the certainty of decision and quality assurance that I had hoped for ...
Today I know at least that my fears at that time were not unfounded. Because scientific studies confirm that the prognostic quality of unstructured job interviews is just 4% to 14%, in structured form up to 30%, with a requirement-based approach and psychologically trained recruiters a maximum of 45%.
I am talking about the probability that your personnel recruitment will be characterized by professional success and sustainable personnel retention - rolling the dice will practically achieve better results in such cases. Because: Only requirement-based potential tests guarantee a prognostic quality of up to 75%.
What does this mean?
If you want to play it safe in personnel decisions of major importance, you should not rely solely on references and third-party recommendations or your personal assessment from a job interview, but you should absolutely secure your personnel selection further with a highly valid, strictly requirement-related potential test.
This does not mean typology, motive, brain structure or style-based personality tests. Infact, you can read here (currently in German only) why these tests are not suitable for personnel selection screening.
For a short time only:
Aptitude TEST Change Weeks in the merry month of may
So what remains to be done?
Or rather, what is my recommendation to you as an HR colleague?
If you already use testing procedures selectively or regularly as part of your recruiting process, but they were not designed to be strictly requirements-based, I offer a personalized change offer for one of our rigorously requirements-based potential analyses. In this case, we should have a little chat about this on the phone. Attention: This offer is limited in time until May 31st!
If you do not yet use any test procedures in recruiting, use the 'COMPETENCES' potential analyses as part of my get-to-know offer 'Competence Check Set', at a one-time only special offer: gain your first, thoroughly positive experiences in recruiting. Luck favors the bold and you have to try something new to see positive change. After all, experience is known to be the best teacher. Attention: This offer is limited to the first 50 new customers!
If you would like to render your recruiting process even more effective and above all eliminate manual steps, automate it and optimize its quality in every aspect, use the LEAN RECRUITING applicant management system as part of a digitalized personnel search to get to know me: A personnel recruitment problem solved quickly and better (in 80% of cases in less than 3 weeks).
I know: It is always hard to start something new. To take the first step, to leave familiar paths and to enter new territory. For many HR managers, this is not easy. But sometimes it just takes a little push to overcome your own inertia and old habits, doesn't it?
For a new boost in recruiting, click one of the related links below - or give me a call:
Cordial May Greetings
René Anderegg, lic.oec.HSG
Expert for aptitude diagnostics
and HR Process Optimization
P.S.: The above offers are limited in time and quantity!