I’m constantly amazed at how weeks seem to have themes.

This week’s theme is around recruitment.

Because I know my clients and their businesses and their people really well, I’m often asked to profile potential candidates and interview them.

I don’t analyse the candidates’ skills or experience; my clients do that.

What I do is test for a cultural fit with the company and the people they’ll be working with directly, as well as get an insight into who the candidate is.

I use a number of profiling tools, however one in particular provides insights into the candidates’ level of responsibility and accountability and truthfulness to name a few.

It also measures how important it is for the candidate to be seen in a favourable light.

We know that interview alone is the least reliable form of recruitment. Often the job goes to the person who interviews the best and who may not be the best candidate for the job.

The one who interviews the best is usually the one who figures out what the interviewer wants to hear and gives that answer. 

One value or trait that I think is very important in a candidate is their degree of “responsibility”.

Here’s a question I use to test for responsibility.

“Please tell me, in detail, about a time when you failed to achieve an outcome. What happened?”

I’m not really interested in the subject they talk about, rather who they assign responsibility to for the outcome.

For example, they may say, “I failed 3 subjects at university”.

It’s the “because” that I’m interested in.

“Because I partied too much and didn’t do enough study” or “the lecturers were hopeless; they weren’t prepared and didn’t give good instructions”.

Which answer do you want?

Which answer would you give?

Obviously the ones who own up and say they partied too much are the ones we want. Why? Because they are taking responsibility for what happened.

We also know that the best indicator of future performance or behaviour is past behaviour – so there’s a very good chance that if they owned up and took responsibility for the outcome, they’re very likely to own up and take responsibility in their work.

I don’t know about you; I don’t want someone who lives below the line and gets into B.E.D. with Blame, Excuses and Denials.  Mistakes happen. I’d rather be working with the person who owns up to what’s happened, rather than hiding it, lying about it or throwing someone else under the bus and blaming others or circumstances.

Who are you recruiting?

Remember, people get hired for their skills and experience and fired for their attitude.

I’d rather know a bit more about who they because skills can always be taught.

Who are you recruiting?

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