Hire for attitude, train for skill
Expr3ss! knows that when it comes to staffing and recruitment, a single goal is shared by companies of all sizes: to hire the “best of the best”. When selecting employees, however, too many businesses are laser-focused on an applicant’s skill set. That’s a mistake, as skills are just part of the equation. Why does Expr3ss! endorse turning things around and hire for attitude, train for skills?
In this article, we look at the importance of attitude in the workplace and how it can enhance or undermine the value of even the most skilled worker.
5 Reasons 46% of New Hires Failed within 18 Months
In business, the right attitude is defined by a number of attributes that change depending on the corporate culture. Most commonly, attitude refers to:
Personality
Work ethic
Ambition
Commitment
General outlook on life
In research for his book Hiring for Attitude, author Mark Murphy tracked the success of 20,000 new people hired over a two year period. The failure rate – 46% within 18 months – was astonishing. However, it was the reason for the failure that was most illuminating:
89% of new hires fail for reasons of attitude
11% of new hires fail for lack of skill
Technical skills are, without doubt, essential to job performance. They’re also easy to assess. Using skills as a metric, however, overlooks whether an applicant’s attitude will push him/her to:
Learn new skills
Think innovatively
Cooperate with team members
Assimilate feedback and coaching
Cope with failure
5 and 4 Super-Star Attributes Related to Attitude
As we continue to report, a growing international labour pool, plus innovative online staffing and recruitment solutions makes it easy to find someone with the right skills.
After an applicant has cleared the skills bar, the next step is to vet them for attitude and a personality that makes them a good fit for a specific corporate culture and/or team.
21st Century job seekers are sharp. They’ve schooled themselves in the art of interviewing. Asking standard questions such as “What can you tell me about yourself?” and “Where do you see yourself in the next five years?” will do little to break down their well-rehearsed façade to let you see the unique individual that lies behind it.
The team at Expr3ss! encourages HR managers to go deeper with the Expr3ss! Behavioural Interview Guide(s), tailored to each applicant and ask different questions, those about their behaviours in the workplace. Find out the behaviours as to what made an applicant successful in their his/her previous positions, the reasons for change and what former bosses would say about his/her work behaviours and performance.
Use your behavioural interview questions to identify top applicants who are
Flexible – Applicants who are flexible and open to change can adapt to changing business demands.
Eager to Grow – Seek applicants whose work history and behaviours shows a commitment to personal and professional growth.
Motivated – Probe into an applicant’s motivation, from what gets them going to what robs them of their drive, and what they do when they’re not feeling motivated.
Self-Aware – Ask applicants to articulate how they make decisions and handle stressful situations.
Interviewing for attitude is just one of the many ways that Expr3ss! helps our clients find the top talent with the behaviours that help their businesses grow and succeed. Can we help you?
