The Good, the Bad and the Perfect Fit.
Finding the right candidates, first time.
According to McKinsey,
‘The best workers do the best and the most work… (with) superior talent up to eight times more productive.’
Finding the right people to join your company may be hard enough but it’s nothing compared to the challenge of persuading them to join you, especially when attractive offers are abundant. Some days it’s unclear who’s choosing who during the recruitment process.
However, there are several critical areas you can gain a competitive edge to attract, retain and nurture the very best people.
But, the real question is: how do you know WHO the right people are for your company, who will help to improve productivity, communication and boost morale?
Well, it’s all about getting the right balance.
‘Great teams are about personalities, not just skills.’
Harvard Business Review.
Great teams are made up of a variety of people with varying skills and experiences, who when put together create a high-performance environment. However, there’s a third and crucial element which often gets overlooked and that’s personality traits.
You can instantly recognise a high-performance team by their levels of productivity, engagement, morale and successful communication. Not, necessarily by the long hours and high salaries! So you’ll need to begin by identifying who in your team currently fits this performance profile and to what level.
Once you’ve completed your current team’s assessment you will be able to see what types of people are missing from your team. It’s a bit like identifying the missing pieces of a jigsaw.
There are 3 key steps to understanding if a potential employee would be a great fit:
- Assess who you already have and what traits they demonstrate.
- Understand who’s currently missing from your team and who may benefit from a role change. Is upskilling required or maybe some people need to move departments?
- Once you’ve done steps 1 and 2, only then can you successfully seek out the right candidates. By pairing the skills and experience that you need with the personality traits and communication style that will fit well within your current team’s profile.
Get ahead with a great assessment tool and a trusted advisor.
To help you navigate this process there’s a great tool that can help you recognise the different communication styles and deepen your understanding of yourself and others.
Skills and experience can be learned and developed over time but personality traits are inherent. Learning to recognise them in yourself and others can be incredibly empowering and will enable you to build strong and purposeful teams that can work together successfully.
DiSC and the insight it provides can be a powerful weapon in the war for talent.
The diagram shows 4 quadrants, each detailing a specific characteristic;
Dominant, Influencer, Compliance and Steadiness.
Most people have aspects of each, but once you begin to study these traits, you’ll likely be able to recognise the behaviours and characteristics of your team and potential employees.
For example, great leaders will likely be Dominant, while salespeople may be Influencers.
Let’s take a little closer look to help you identify the right candidates for you quickly and successfully because we all know the cost of a poor hire!
Dominant are results focused.
They will be thinking about the big picture and leave the implementation to others.
Their communication style is to
- Get down to business and stay on topic.
- Answer with confidence.
- Expect them to be candid and forthright.
Don’t
- Take their response personally: they may be blunt, ask more questions and appear impatient.
- Make promises you can’t deliver.
Influencers are your typical people person.
With a friendly and positive personality, they are usually honest and open.
- They will be more relaxed and will show their sense of humour.
- Put details and facts in writing to refer back to after a verbal conversation.
- They can be over-enthusiastic and optimistic with lots of ideas.
Don’t
- Talk down to them or be rude.
- Restrict the conversation or stifle their freedom to express ideas and emotions.
- Expect them to dive deep into detail.
Steady characters are usually level-headed and balanced.
You’ll get the best outcomes if you
- Practice active listening, and confirm that you’ve heard them by repeating what they’ve just said to you.
- Have a relaxed attitude towards them and acknowledge their contribution.
Don’t
- Hurry them into a decision.
- Assume they support an idea 100% just because they don’t voice opposition.
Compliance personalities are the thinkers of the bunch.
They value competency, systems and detail.
Try to
- Offer as many details as possible upfront. If the details are organised or systemised, all the better.
- Give them clear expectations and space to work independently.
- Expect them to double and triple-check everything before making a decision.
Don’t
- Respond to them emotionally – be assertive and direct: use words like “know” or “think” NOT “feel.”
- Expect them to make small talk.
We all have different communication styles, that’s what makes us unique and human. But, we are all likely to share similar traits with other people. DiSC allows us to understand one another more readily and is especially useful during the recruitment process.
By gaining these valuable insights you will be able to identify potential candidates that will not only fit well within your team but thrive within your company because they can connect at a deeper level with their colleagues, build trust quickly and develop long-term mutual respect.
At Fella and Jones, our mission is to nurture and build relationships with clients and candidates to find the right match for both parties. Our level of expertise within the industry is exceptional because we take the time to get to know you and your people. This allows us to identify, attract and motivate the right candidates to join the right companies, the first time.
You can contact the Fella & Jones team.
For more details about DiSC profiling and our recruitment services, please contact the Fella & Jones Team directly.
Tel: +44 (0)203 617 1825. Email: [email protected]
