Strategy #3: Recruit for fit

Take two computer engineers with the same training and qualifications, but with very different personalities. One might be a fine fit with the buttoned-down blue suit culture of IBM, and the other might feel right at home in the blue jeans and beer bash culture of Apple – but switch the two and you have a formula for unhappy people who are suboptimal performers.

There are a number of personality tests and predictive indexes that can help you get a better feel for the potential fit of a prospective employee.  Another way to gauge this is by asking behavioral questions during the interview. These can be especially helpful, because instead of asking what someone would do in a certain situation, you are asking them to demonstrate what they have done in such situations in the past. Here are several examples of behavioral questions:

Tell me about a time that you broke a rule in order to better serve a customer (this is a good question for an organization that expects initiative and self-empowerment on the part of employees).

What was the most fun you’ve ever had on-the-job; what were you doing, and what did you enjoy about it (a good question if you’re looking for someone who is enthusiastic and will bring a sense of joy and humor to the workplace).

Give me one or more specific examples of how people who have reported to you have subsequently been promoted to positions of higher responsibility (a great question to ask managerial candidates at an organization that takes leadership development seriously).

What are the characteristics that you most want to see in job candidates at your organization? What questions can you ask that would help you ascertain whether particular job candidates possess those qualities? How can you “softwire” these qualities into your recruiting, orientation, and performance appraisal processes?

“A bird might love a fish, but where would they find a home?”

Tevye, in Fiddler on the Roof

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