When reflecting about the past year, I realize that I have a lot to be thankful for, including a healthy and growing family as well as the opportunity to work with wonderful people all across the United States and Canada. And, when looking forward to the next year, I resolve to work on becoming a better person and better at helping businesses find the right people and people to find the right jobs.

Taking risks is something that a business owner has to be willing to do. But, mitigating risks is something that a smart business owner tries to do. Hiring the right people is, perhaps, the most important aspect of growing a successful company, but hiring can be a ‘risky business’.

Most companies use the three basic steps for hiring—conducting an interview with the job applicant, reviewing the job applicant’s references, and assessing the job applicant’s resume. But, while all of these steps should be considered, they all are flawed.

Job interviews are often squeezed somewhere into the interviewer’s busy day. And, the interviewer may have quickly thrown together a few questions. But, the world is full of actors and the interviewing room is the perfect stage for a job applicant to put on his/her ‘stage face’. It takes skill and a lot of effort to be able to ask the right questions and to listen for the right words in order to see the true person sitting on the other side of the table. Most interviewers make a decision on whether they like or dislike a candidate within the first few minutes of an interview. If they decide in favor of the candidate, then it is almost impossible for that person to damage their chances of getting a job.

Some companies use some unusual techniques to hire which have often left me ‘scratching my head’. For example, they present a brainteaser to a potential hire, such as “how many golf balls can you fit into a 747” or “how many gas stations are in Manhattan?” I have never been able to figure out what that could tell an interviewer about a candidate’s ability to do a job, unless the job was to pack a 747 full of golf balls.

And, it is often hard for someone to give a bad reference to an employee who has been terminated. Who wants to give a bad reference to a really nice person who, for whatever reason, was not a good fit for the job. Even an impressive resume is not a clear indication of whether someone can meet a potential employer’s needs or fit into the environment. Google has done a lot of data crunching in an attempt to be more successful at hiring. And, apparently, all this data crunching has revealed that things like GPA’s, transcripts, and test scores were found to be worthless with no correlation to a person’s success.

Successful companies try to ‘think outside of the box’ when hiring. Southwest Airlines has used a somewhat unorthodox approach to the traditional interview. Unbeknownst to the potential hire, his/her interview started the minute they picked up their ticket to fly to their job interview and did not end until they returned home. They may let down their guard and show their true character when dealing with a ticket agent but then put on their ‘stage face’ when they enter the interview room not knowing that information would be gathered from every employee the interviewee interacted with during his/ her journey.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the same resources as an airline does. However, the Simmons Personal Survey is available to any employer who wants to determine a potential applicant’s true character before a hiring decision is made. And, a smart employer needs to develop the best possible hiring protocol to avoid hiring mistakes.

Many employers don’t realize the cost of a bad hire and employee turnover. In the past, I have seen numbers indicating that a bad hire could cost 3 to 5 times the person’s annual salary, but the website ZipRecruiter.com has done a study that indicates it can be seven times the cost of an employee’s annual package. Consider this. An employee making $50,000 a year could cost an employer well over a quarter million dollars (that’s $250,000+!), but it could be even worse if that employee filed a negligent hiring lawsuit. The study found that the average settlement for negligent hiring is nearly $1,000,000 and there have been verdicts running up to $40,000,000. The last statistic related to negligent hiring cases is probably the biggest reason why any organization should try to avoid bad hires at all cost–employers lose more than 79% of these cases.

It is becoming increasingly easier to make a bad hire because people will do or say what it takes to get a job. Most people are not bad but, instead, are driven to do what it takes to survive. Many often feel that, if they can get a job, they could be a valued employee but, in the wrong job, their character weaknesses will get in their way of success.

So, here’s to helping companies finding the right people and to helping people find the right jobs!!

Oh, If I just had a crystal ball!! Our goal is to help make your life as easy as possible. And, of course, we are best able to do that here at Staff Development Services by helping you find the right people to help you keep your organization running as effortlessly and effectively as possible.

I would love to say that I possess a crystal ball that I can look into to give me a definite ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ about a potential employee when I am writing a hiring report. Talk about an easy life! But, human beings are extraordinarily complex with eleven major systems made up of billions of cells and hundreds, if not thousands, of chemical compounds constantly being generated. In addition to that, there are the environmental aspects of their youth, how they were parented, and what is going on in their lives presently that all have an impact on how they behave.

Even though there are billions of people in this world and no two of them are exactly alike, I know that the assessment tool we use is one of the most accurate tools out there as it enables us look into the very ‘soul’ of a person’s character. Therefore, I am able to be rather predictive of how a person behaves. However, a person’s behavior is very situational so, when I look at a survey, I am trying to sort out how they may act at work versus at home. Do they behave consistently or inconsistently? Does pressure affect how they behave? Can they do the job and, if so, will they last in the job, etc? How will they react to their co-workers?

To discuss every possible scenario of how a person behaves would take pages and pages—too many for me to write and too many for you to read in today’s busy world. But, I do try to present a concise overview with the information needed for you, in addition to other knowledge you have about a particular candidate, to make the most successful hiring decisions. It cannot be emphasized enough that the entire report be carefully read by all involved in the decision-making process—not just the summary! There could be an important bit of information in the body of the report that you realize could keep the person from being successful. This could be something as simple as the kind of supervisor the potential hire will be working with or as complex as the amount of stress the potential candidate will be working under on a regular basis.

“Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.” – Henry David Thoreau

From time to time, someone relates an interesting story about how they use the information contained in the hiring or coaching reports we write. I was recently talking with Stephanie Demont, Vice President of Operations for Carter Mario In- jury Lawyers when she related how she felt about having taken the survey and then reading her results after being hired. (Note: It is recommended that a hiring report not be shared with the potential applicant. These reports are written for the benefit of the employer as related to the position they are trying to fill.) Following is what Stephanie shared with us.

“I remember nearly three years ago working routinely at my desk as a senior manager of a company for which I had worked for 5 years, when I received a call out of the blue from a recruiter. I wasn’t very interested in changing jobs, since I was relatively comfortable where I was, but just for kicks, I agreed to hear him out. He told me that he had a job opportunity that matched my qualifications per- fectly. The position was that of Vice President of Operations at a law firm. I soon interviewed with the President of the firm and found that I was very interested in this position. Following my interview, I was asked to take an online assessment that was designed to determine the fit of my personality to the job description. I took the assessment and eagerly awaited a call from my prospective employer.

Within a few days, I was hired.

Within one month of beginning my new job, I asked whether it was possible to read the results of the assessment. I was given a copy of my Confidential Hiring Report prepared by John Beane, and was told that it was used only as one tool to determine my likelihood of success in this position.

Right after reading the results of my assessment, I was mortified. I wondered why they would ever hire me after reading these results. I remember thinking, ” I don’t know WHO this person is, but it is certainly not me!” Consequently, I didn’t attribute much credibility to this tool.

About three months later, I pulled the results out of my file cabinet and read the report again. Surprisingly, this time, I saw one or two traits that I was definitely exhibiting in this job. I made a mental note that this was interesting, and I placed my assessment back in my file cabinet.

Approximately one year into the new job, I had weathered many challenges, learned many new things, and experienced situations I had never encountered before in my work life. At this point I decided to read the assessment again. This time, I noticed that I was displaying many of the traits and tendencies previously predicted. Again, I was surprised and noted how interesting this was, considering how I felt when I first read the report.

From time to time, I go back and read my assessment. Each time, I am amazed at just how accurate it served as a predictor of by behavior in this job. When I read the unfavorable tendencies, I try to focus on them a little more, so as to be aware that these are areas I may need to work on in order to be the best I can be at my job. I am currently approaching my third year here at the firm, and I am sure I will continue to periodically refer to the results of my assessment as a tool to help me grow and prosper here for a long time to come.” Thanks Stephanie and I remember similar feelings over 20 years ago when I received my first result. In fact, mine was so bad I was not certain that I had a right to continue breathing. But, since I also have a challenge orientation I thought I would show the guy who had done my report that he was wrong. My wife says she is still waiting for me to prove him wrong. Well, that is not exactly true since I have made changes in my character but these changes do not come easily or quickly and I still have a long way to go. But, that is what growing as a person means—you are aware of your weaknesses and are always trying to improve.

Talking with Stephanie triggered my thinking about how important coaching is to assist people towards their optimal level of performance, both in their personal and professional lives. Some of you have seen our coaching reports but these are really just the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Therefore, we have sought out an outstanding coach to offer Executive Coaching to our clients and are very happy to announce the addition of Dr. Dennis Marikis to our staff.

Dr. Marikis has consulted with numerous top executives from Fortune 500 companies as well as CEOs from the medical and legal communities. For more information on our Executive Coaching and Dr. Marikis visit our Coaching page for additional information.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me.” – Author Unknown

We have been enjoying unbelievably nice weather here on the East Coast. Usually, you feel like you are opening an oven door when you step outside this time of year. But, instead, we have the windows open and are enjoying a wonderful cool breeze through the office all day long.

So, my wife thought we should take advantage of the weather and suggested I trim the bushes around our house last weekend. This is not something I particularly enjoy doing but I agreed since it was certainly something that needed to be done. I had been working for about 30 minutes when she came out to help me finish. She followed the trail of clippings and found the hedge trimmers lying on the ground beside the one remaining bush to be trimmed. But, she could not find me.

Her search led her to the garage where I had started on another little project. My inability to finish some thing that I find to be very boring in order to start something else would have led to an argument early in our marriage. But, since she is very familiar with my survey, she knows that I am a challenge-oriented person and someone who gets bored very easily. So, instead of getting mad (although I think I did see her jaw clinching a bit), she simply redirected me back to the bushes to complete the task. You might just say, “John needs increased supervision when trimming shrubs”.

My survey indicates that I am not a particularly hard worker or much of a team player but that I am very challenge-oriented. It is hard for me to stick with something like trimming bushes long enough to get it done. Yet, I can sit in my office hour after hour without taking a break writing hiring or coaching reports. I can do this because I find it very challenging and enjoyable to look at the survey of a person whom I have never met and try to determine if he or she can be successful in the job you are trying to fill.

Many of you have probably read one of our hiring reports that states the potential candidate could be very successful in a particular job if he or she finds the job challenging or enjoyable. Unfortunately, that is something we cannot determine here at Staff Development Services but is something that may be determined by a follow-up interview with the candidate or by talking with previous employers.

By finding out what they have done successfully in the past provides insight to their chances for future success. But, everything must be considered when doing this research—did they work in a small office previously but would be working in a large one with your firm, did they work on their own before but would be working as part of a team with your organization, etc?

And, consider this. You have a new employee who is really doing a good job and seems to fit well into your firm. But, six or seven months after being hired, there is a noticeable decline in both the quantity and quality of his or her work. This may be a good time to review that employee’s hiring report. Did we indicate that this person was challenge-oriented? If so, perhaps the challenge of learning a new job has ‘worn off’ and now they are becoming dissatisfied in the role. Could their job be restructured to give them more variety or responsibility in order to keep them challenged and to ‘save’ a good employee?

While I may be able to sit here and focus on writing reports all day, I could become quickly bored and seek another opportunity if working for someone else. A challenge orientation is a ‘double-edged sword’ that can be positive or negative, depending on the situation.

I received a letter from a company recently that had this as the subject line: People are Hired for Their Skills and Fired for Their Behaviors. That is so true. We look for candidates to fill positions who have the needed skill sets and then assume they can do the job quite well.

But why have they applied for that particular job? Based on my experience, it is often to ‘escape’ their current job. People seem to spend far more time running away from what they don’t like instead of thinking about what they want and then trying to find a job that matches their needs.

So, they begin a new job with some excitement and enthusiasm for their responsibilities. But, very soon it becomes commonplace since it isn’t really what they want and they find their work less enjoyable each day. And, when work is not enjoyable, people look for excuses to do something else.

According to the 2004 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey conducted by Harris Interactive®, most employees who fail to show up for work aren’t physically ill. In fact, the study found only 38 percent of unscheduled absences are due to personal illness, while 62 percent are for other reasons including family issues (23 percent), personal needs (18 percent), stress (11 percent) and entitlement mentality (10 percent).

If an individual is unwilling to think about what is best for them and simply seeks a job, perhaps employers need to spend more time thinking about what they need from a candidate in a given role. So, the better the employer understands what is needed for someone to successfully perform a particular role, the more likely they are to find the right person. But, if they do not know what is needed and the job candidates do not know what they want, the result is “the blind leading the blind”.

Of course, a person needs skills to perform a certain job. But, by spending a little time identifying the characteristics that are needed to successfully function in a role, the employer removes much of the guesswork out of matching the right person to the right job, resulting in a win/win situation.

Let’s consider the role of a receptionist. This is usually a job that does not require a lot of ‘concrete skills’ but is probably one of the most important roles in any organization. Because an organization can’t do business if they can’t get ‘customers through the front door’ and the first person the customer talks to is most responsible for making that happen—the receptionist.

This person must have a pleasant demeanor in order to successfully meet and greet people whether by phone or in person. They must have an uplifted demeanor and be capable of making the potential client feel that they have made the right decision by calling your firm. Secondly, the receptionist must have the ability to control conversations so that she can quickly get the caller or visitor to the appropriate person.

Think for a moment of your own experience in calling or visiting another organization and how the receptionist treated you. Were you greeted with a pleasant demeanor and left with a positive feeling or did you want to ‘strangle’ the person at the other end of the line or sitting behind the desk? Is that person simply earning a paycheck or do they truly enjoy their job and find pleasure in what they are doing?

So, to sum up my thoughts—hire employees based on behaviors and then train them to do the job you need done. You will have to fire far fewer people.

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. – Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)