“The
Right Person for the Right Job”
By
John
King
President,
Roster, Inc.
Traditionally, the dubious method most often used to hire qualified personnel has been soliciting a job opening, accepting resumes, and conducting an interview with potential candidates. Forget tradition, in most cases it’s been the equivalent of hit and miss, and the majority of the time it fails miserably! Why is the hiring task so difficult? A reality check tells us that in most cases the employer has a predetermined profile of the employee it wants to hire and the tasks it wants them to perform, but will make do with an applicant just to fill a seat. Or, the reliance on antiquated methods of finding the right person just doesn’t work anymore.
Ultimately, hiring the wrong person could end up costing you more than you bargained for. In fact, 98 percent of all resumes contain some sort of fraud. In addition, turnover from hiring an employee, who has misrepresented him/herself in person, or on paper, will cost a company one and half times the salary of the individual in lost productivity lost job activities and disruption of workflow. Research conducted by Columbia University indicates that 73 percent of employee turnover is due to misleading job descriptions and in some cases no job descriptions at all! Which also contributes to a legal issue. If you’re vague on job descriptions or do not provide descriptions at all, it may be the basis for discrimination claims from employees who don’t work out.
Globally, a high employee turnover rate and a tight labor market makes hiring and retaining the right person for a job, crucial. It takes more than just good intuition—it requires defining, documenting and communicating what people do and how they do it.
There are literally thousands of methods and assessment tools employers use to assist in the hiring processes. Few have been as successful as the Position Matrix™ Management System, which is a proven tool that works for both the employer and the employee. The process reduces hiring costs and provides fail-safe methods of conducting interviews. It also helps a company identify its precise needs for a position. It then systematically links those needs with performance characteristics likely to lead to success on the job.
Gone are the days when people were hired to merely fill a void. Today, the tables have turned. Employees want to work in an environment that makes them feel good about themselves. They’re looking for direction, feedback and empowerment. If they are not supported by management and allowed to flourish in their careers both employer and employee lose. Without a systematic approach to hiring and filling vacated positions the chances of them staying with the company are very slim.