If you’ve used our services before you are probably very familiar with our mantra that filling a vacancy is about more than just ticking all the boxes on a job spec. We’d go as far as saying that the person who looks perfect on paper may not always be the perfect person for the job.
Of course there will be certain skill requirements that are non-negotiable. But we also know that the values and abilities of a prospective employee give a much better indication of whether they are the right person for a job than what’s on their CV.
Ultimately, we believe that skills can be taught, but values and abilities are at the root of finding the right candidate for our clients.
We’re not alone in thinking this. Mark Murphy, author ‘Hiring for Attitude’ says that of the 20,000 new hires he tracked as part of his research study, 46% failed within 18 months and of these 89% left because their attitudes did not align to that of the company. Only 11% failed because of a lack of skills.
That’s why during our candidate selection process we drill down into what motivates and inspires our candidates, to make sure that we get the right ‘fit’ in every way.
For example, both candidates and clients often talk about ‘progression’. It’s our job to find out what that progression looks like – is it moving swiftly up the ranks to management or developing new technical skills?
From a client point of view we need to know what type of training and promotion is on offer. We need to understand what type of person would fit best with the culture of the organisation and what abilities they need to help the business achieve its potential. Is their ideal employee an innovative self-starter who’ll develop new ideas or someone who thrives on being part of a team?
Finding the right match also means making sure the person remains a perfect fit in the future.
One of the first questions we ask a candidate is why they are leaving their current role. Sometimes of course it’s because they want more money, but in our experience it’s more often because they no longer feel challenged or inspired.
Once we understand what has demotivated a person we can make sure that their next position offers what they need to stay motivated.
Focusing more on the values and abilities of a candidate does sometimes mean that the person for the job doesn’t necessarily have all the skills on the job spec. In this situation a business will need to provide some additional training. We believe that’s an investment worth making in return for an employee whose values mean they will be a motivated and productive member of the business.
We practice what we preach. Very few of our team came to us with recruitment experience. We’re confident that we can teach them all they need to know about ‘how’ to do the job, but what we can’t teach are the values and abilities that will make them a successful, motivated part of our business.
For us, success isn’t just about matching a list of skills on a job spec with the list of skills on a CV, it’s about getting to the root of what our clients and candidates really want. That’s the key to finding the perfect candidate, and one that will remain a loyal, engaged and motivated employee for years to come.
