Hiring the wrong person for the job can be detrimental to the productivity of the company, and may cause avoidable expenses.

The cost of hiring the wrong person is higher than taking the time to find someone with the right personality fit for your business. Think about the time and monetary costs of having to go through the recruitment and training process again. It is better to find the right person in the first place.

The key to finding that candidate – is to concentrate on their personality & culture fit within an organization. Here are some tips to help make your recruitment job easier.

Effective interview techniques

It is not just the jobseeker who needs to be prepared for the interview – you need to do some homework too. A recruiter will need a good understanding of what type of individual will fit into the business which including their personality, skills base, attitude and manner. Use these techniques to ensure you always have effective interviews:

o Be clear on the competencies required for the job, including your required output and key performance indicators.

o Determine characteristics and traits of the person you think will succeed in the role. Look at employees who are doing well in the same job and list what they bring to the position.

o Prepare a job description for candidates.

o Read each person’s resume and cover letter before meeting them so you know their experience. It will also give you a springboard for questions.

o Prepare interview questions beforehand covering the skills base you need, but also questions that will help you assess the candidate’s behaviour. Using the same set of questions for each interviewee is fairer and makes it easier for you to determine the candidate with the best fit.

o Help the candidate relax with small talk and easy questions first.

o Listen more than talk.

o Watch for non-verbal clues, such as body language and facial expressions, and look at how the jobseeker is presented.

o Explain the recruitment process clearly and remain neutral throughout.

Use behavioural questions

A candidate’s past behaviour is a great way to understand how they will operate in the future. Use behavioural questions to find out how the candidate responded in a previous situation similar to the job they are interviewing for, or give them a role play example and ask what they would do. This technique will give you a good insight into which people have the traits, characteristics and competencies suitable for the job.

Ask non work-related questions

While you are finding out which activities a candidate enjoys in their free time, you can assess how they will fit into your business. For instance, someone who likes BASE jumping is a risk taker who might get bored with data entry, or a person who enjoys spending their spare time alone might not like a job where a lot of networking is involved.

Go with you gut instinct

With all the tools available to assess the suitability of a candidate, your gut feeling is still an important indicator. If you have spent the whole interview thinking their personality is going to wreak havoc in your business, it makes good business sense to listen to that instinct. You know what type of person fits into your organisation, so trust that knowledge.

Research the right personality fit for your organisation

An organisation’s cultural fit is difficult to define, but you know when you have found the right employee because they feel right. Culture is made up of the life experiences, values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of the entire organisation, from the executives to the trainees. Basically, it is the rules of your workplace and you need to have a very clear idea of what that is before embarking on any recruitment. Once you know the organisation’s cultural fit, it should be easy to work out the personality profile of the person you need to recruit.

Identify culture fit through psychometric testing

Many employers now use psychometric testing as one of their recruitment tools. This testing method gives an insight into the way a candidate thinks and works that you cannot find out through their resume or in a 20-minute interview.

Psychometric testing falls into two categories: aptitude and personality. Aptitude tests measure numerical, verbal, comprehension, abstract or spatial reasoning skills and information checking. Personality assessments look more at interests and motivations through a series of questions. Candidate’s answers are compiled into a profile, which you can compare with the profile of the person you are seeking.

Reference checks

After sorting through a bundle of candidate’s resumes, choosing a short-list, interviewing, psychometric testing and listening to your instinct, there is one more task to ensure you have chosen the right person for your business – check their references.

Be specific when you speak to referees and ask how the person coped in behavioural situations to help assess whether their personality fits with your business.

David Marriott and established Constructive Recruitment with business partner, Giles Keay in 2003. He is a technical and operations recruitment expert with over 15 years experience in recruitment. Constructive Recruitment specializes in recruiting for the construction, infrastructure and resources sectors throughout Australia and overseas. With offices in Sydney, Brisbane and recently opened Perth, Constructive Recruitment provides employers and jobseekers with strategic industry advice and specialist recruitment services. http://www.constructive.net.au

Thinking of Gap Year Any Help (Aus)?

Hey
I am currently in my first year of university doing a Business and I.C.T Course, been honest not enjoying.
I have just come home for crimbo like most others but wondering weather to go back. The only thing that would make me go back is the social life which I am loving.
Anyway was thinking of going to Aus for 6 months or more in perth, has anyone got and suggestions on what i should do about uni or going to Aus its self.

That’s a difficult decision. Many people have trouble settling at uni in their first year, particularly if they feel they may have chosen the wrong course but it’s usually a good idea to at least finish the year and then reconsider at the end of that time. You could change courses then or leave all together but it isn’t really wise to do anything without finishing that first year. Wherever you live or whatever you do, you’ll still need qualifications in the future and if you want to be a professional pilot that still holds.

If you do decide to come to Australia, get yourself a 12 month Working Holiday visa and come on down. They’re easy and fast to get and you could be here within a few weeks of applying. You’ll need your air ticket and around £2000 in the bank plus either a return ticket or funds (on top of the 2k) to buy one. You can work anywhere at any type of job (up to 6 months with each employer) and can study for up to 4 months and if you meet certain regional work conditions, you can qualify for a second 12 month WH visa that can be taken at any time before you turn 31 (not 35).

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/

Business Lifestyle Mark and Zoe Visit Perth Western Australia [Network Marketing Lifestyle]