Recently a client emailed us to say:

"We are talking with a new college graduate (his major was in history) who is applying for an outside sales position.  Although he has no experience in sales, he says that he has always been interested in selling.  In the interview, he seemed a bit stiff and reserved but we wrote that off to nervousness due to not having much experience at interviewing.  His Performance Profile Report came back with, among other things, a '9' on the Impulse Control characteristic, a '3' on Energy Level, and a '2' on Sociability.  Does this sound like the profile of someone who could do well in outside sales?"

No, but it does sound like a history major.  History majors spend a lot of time reading.  In fact, other than going to class, most of a history major's time is spent reading. 

Reading is a solitary activity, and this person's Sociability rating of  '2' suggests that he is happiest when engaged in solitary activities.  Individuals who score a '2' on Sociability often see talking with others as difficult, tiring, or even threatening.  Outside sales, on the other hand, will require lots of interaction with prospects (including their receptionists and administrative assistants), existing clients, and others.  So far, this doesn't seem to be a good match between the applicant and the job of outside sales.

Reading is also a sedentary activity.  It doesn't require much in the way of physical movement.  On the other hand, outside sales requires lots of walking, traveling, climbing steps, and standing.  Individuals whose Energy Level scores are low (1-3) tend to prefer less physical activity, not more.  Again, not a good match.

A '9' on the Impulse Control characteristic indicates a very restrained and reflective individual who prefers to consider carefully what he is about to say or do before saying or doing it.  This strong restraint tends to make the person slow to respond in social situations.  Making small talk with others is painfully difficult.  This does not sound like someone who would be good at meeting prospects and clients, establishing rapport with them, and guiding the conversation to the benefits of the company's products or services.

In previous newsletters, we have talked about the balance we are always trying to achieve between finding and hiring "super stars" - those individuals who seem to succeed at whatever they do without even trying - and finding and hiring solid candidates who nevertheless may have a developmental need or two.  Most of us function in that "solid" category, by the way; most research in the field suggests that true "super stars" make up about 1% or less of the population.

But there is another side to this story, and that is the people you hire against your own better judgment.  They most often end up becoming long-term high maintenance employees or, in the short term, they push the turnover rate up.  At the time, there seem to be compelling reasons to go ahead and hire this person, even when a little voice inside you is saying, "Uh-oh - not a good idea!"  Let's look at how to identify this mistake, while it is in progress, and how to prevent getting into that situation where you are trying to talk yourself into a decision that your guts are objecting to.

The Voice Of Experience

Now, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I am something of an expert on how to convince oneself to hire a person, even when some part of me knows that it is not a good idea.  This is the voice of my own experience talking:  when you have to work too hard at convincing yourself or others that the shortcomings in a candidate aren't so bad, it's a red flag to which you should pay more attention.  For example, if you hear yourself saying things like, "Yes, but..." or "Maybe it's not that important...." or "We have some other good people who will pick up the slack...." several times in a discussion about an applicant's liabilities, it's probably time to take a few mental steps back, and review your selection criteria again.

Listen To Your Guts

It's a case of how hard are you working to convince yourself, rather than a case of an honest give and take about the relative merits of an applicant's strengths and liabilities.  If you are more concerned about how tired you are of interviewing people, and you feel yourself tempted to simply hire the next warm-blooded biped you meet, beware!  I sometimes advise clients, in specific situations, to listen for a certain tone in their voices when they talk about the applicant to others that suggests resignation, despair, or exhaustion.

All of these factors build up a preponderance of evidence, as the lawyers say, that points to the risk that you may be sliding down that slippery slope toward convincing yourself to hire a person in spite of legitimate concerns and better judgment.  Pay attention to those concerns!

The "Ounce Of Prevention" Checklist

Now, let's turn to prevention.  These suggestions won't work 100% of the time, but a carefully thought through selection process makes the decisions that you have to make, at the end of the process, better and easier to make.

Step 1:   Before you run advertisements, place want ads, or hire a search firm, spend some time making sure you have a thorough job description.  Decide what skills, knowledge, characteristics, or experience are necessary, and what are desirable but not absolutely necessary.

 

Step 2:   Gather information through interviews, background checks if relevant, employment and education verification, personal references if you can get them, and Performance Profile testing.  Take all of the information into account to try to build as complete an idea of your candidates and their potential as you can.

 

Step 3:   Pay attention to your "guts":  what were your personal reactions, and those of your interviewers, to the candidates?  How hard are you trying to convince yourself that a specific candidate will work out?  Go back and look at the decisions you made in Step 1 to keep yourself focused.

 

Step 4:   This is perhaps the most important thing you can do.  Don't be reluctant to start over if you have not found the candidate(s) you are looking for.   The old adage, "Marry in haste, repent at leisure" holds true for hiring also.  Hire in haste and you will probably have lots of time to regret it.

 

Step 5:   Have a training and development plan for the new employee(s).  The Professional Development Guide is a good place to start because it can be used within a development program, or it can be used all by itself.  (For more information, click here for an earlier article about the Professional Development Guide.)  You already know a great deal about what will make this person seem successful to you; put that information together with what you now know about the individual and, together, you can help him or her get off to a great start toward being a valued, productive member of your team!  Don't skip this step, even for the "super stars!"

Think of these steps as a checklist that you can follow as you go through the hiring process.  Check off each step for every hiring decision that you make to keep focused on making the best possible hiring decisions.

When you review an applicant's Performance Profile Report, always keep in mind the specific demands that the position for which the person is being considered will require in terms of management or personal style.  As we have often discussed in previous newsletters, different positions make different demands in terms of personality characteristics.  It's very tempting, nevertheless, to be influenced by the "halo effect" - you may be looking at a Performance Profile Report for an individual with a lot of strengths, good interview reports, and good references, and be tempted to try to make that person fit into the position you are trying to fill, in order not to lose the candidate to a competitor.  The solution to this "halo effect" is to review the job description, and make a list of how the Performance Profile characteristics, in order of importance, are likely to affect job performance.  Then review specific applicants and their Performance Profile Reports.