As I travel to organizations around the country invariably the conversation turns to the hiring of the right people.There always seem to be certain positions that are the greatest challenge. Why?  Sometimes it is because they are difficult jobs that few people want.  Sometimes they are key positions that the company is reliant upon for their success.  I am often asked if  the organization should hire people with direct experience in the job or hire inexperienced people and train them the way they want. The answer is both, depending on the needs of the company and their ratio of experienced to inexperienced people.

A hiring success is not just about demonstrated skills and experience, but about the character of the person and the chemistry of the team within a culture. Employment experts indicate the overwhelming reason a person doesn’t succeed has nothing to do with their experience or their ability. It is because they didn’t fit.

The competence question still remains critical. If the new hire doesn’t have the right education and experience (demonstrated competence), they can’t get in the door. However, if the company doesn’t evaluate the applicant for character and their ability to fit into the team/organization, the company will fail.  Time and again I have seen many bright, experienced people fail in a particular job and company because of fit.

Assessing character and fit/chemistry is not easy. There are many things to consider. What is the team like? Do they work together a lot or is the team more autonomous? What type of person succeeds here? If Mary is our top producer, what makes her successful? Of the top producers, what are the common characteristics? Does the leader of the team/division work best with people who are more task driven or people driven? How important is it for the new hire to be self-responsible and self-accountable?

Part of what makes this section of the hiring process difficult is it requires the company to articulate the characteristics of a given team, leader or organization and what the culture is like that the company wants the applicant to fit into.

With positions that continuously turn-over, I suggest the agency profile the job. This requires having two to three people objectively define the elements most important about the job (i.e., skills, knowledge and experience). Have the top applicants profiled to see how their answers compare to what you defined as most important. While not perfect, it provides an objective tool to use in evaluating the candidate(s).

Many companies don’t want to spend money on this process. Keep in mind, however, it costs companies between four and six times a person’s total compensation (including the loaded benefit costs) when they turn a position over. So if you want to improve the quality of your new hires, remember to think beyond an applicant’s competence. Question how they will fit into the team and with the overall culture of the organization.