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Tertiary qualifications?  Check

Demonstrated experience?  Check 

Skilled in a specific IT platform? Check 

But how can you screen for passion, flair and determination?

Recruiting for Behavioural Traits Is an Art - We Are Here to Break It Down for You

The idea of recruiting for behavioral traits is rooted in Frank Parsons's Trait and Factor Theory, developed in the early 20th century. Parsons, considered the founder of vocational guidance, believed in matching an individual's talents, skills, and personality to the requirements of a job. This approach, also known as the talent-matching approach, laid the foundation for understanding how personality traits influence job performance and satisfaction.

So What Does This Mean in Terms of a New Hire and the Interview Process?

In the recruitment process, there are three types of questions that should be asked: 

• Technical Questions - will ensure that you are probing into the candidate’s qualifications and work experience - as we all know, they are essential for every kind of skilled role
• Cultural Questions - also important, making sure that the candidate will fit into the culture of your business and is likely to get along with their co-workers.
• Behavioural Questions - these questions differ from traditional interview questions that focus on skills or qualifications. Instead, they delve into past experiences to reveal how a candidate has behaved in specific situations. The theory is that past behaviour indicates future performance.

Weaving Behavioural Assessments Into the Recruitment Process

Every business owner or manager wants someone working for the business who will be a superstar for the business; identifying these behavioural traits is where it gets tricky.  You have Geoff leaving - he was amazing at his job, great with learning new systems and had an extraordinary EQ.  The actions you would take at the interview stage for his possible replacement, could be something like this

Behavioural Interview Questions: 

Using the the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), questions can focus on: 

• Teamwork and collaboration - "Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with someone whose personality differed from yours."
• Problem solving and decision making - "Tell me about a time you had to adapt to unexpected changes."
• Communication - "Give me an example of when you had to persuade someone to accept your idea."
• Leadership and Initiative - "Describe a time you had to motivate a team to achieve a goal."
• Adaptability and Learning - "Describe a situation where you had to work outside of your comfort zone."
• Look to anchor someone in a point in time - such as going into a particular meeting - and then probe the scenario using questions such as:
  
  What were you thinking?
  What did you do?
  What did you say?
  What were you feeling?
  Can you give me an example?
  What was your role?

Behavioural Testing

has an important part to play, helping to assess a candidate's personality traits and predict their behaviour in the workplace.  At Employee Matters we use Harrison Assessments.  Each job has built in optimal traits, these can be tailored for your workplace and role and can even be included, excluded or adjusted for importance, to capture your departing employee Geoff’s most valuable traits. 

Examples of traits include:

• Takes initiative  
• Tolerance of bluntness
• Tolerance of structure 
• Wants challenges 
• Wants to lead
• Warmth / empathy  

Incredibly, these traits all reveal themselves after completion of the pre-assessment questionnaire that our candidates take - and the tests available are not just useful for new recruits, we have used the suite of reports available, effectively as coaching tools, for management training and remote work suitability. 

Work Samples and Simulations

Work samples and simulations are used across a wide range of jobs, especially those requiring practical skills or specific technical proficiencies. They are particularly helpful for roles where tangible outputs or on-the-job performance is crucial for success. Examples include roles in engineering, development, marketing, sales, customer service and technical support.

Reference Checks

Employee Matters has always vigorously pursued reference checks, viewing them as an essential step in the recruitment process.  While some would say there is no such thing as a ‘bad reference check’, that is just not true.  Our reference checks are crafted to probe for positive and negative traits.  Often it is what a referee skirts around or does not answer that is the most revealing.

Conclusion

Recruiting goes beyond checking off qualifications; it's about finding individuals who truly elevate your team. By weaving behavioural questions, targeted assessments like Harrison Assessments, work samples when appropriate and thorough reference checks into your hiring process, you gain a comprehensive understanding of a candidate's potential.

This holistic approach empowers you to identify not just who can do the job, but who will truly thrive, contribute positively to your culture and become a superstar for your business. Don't just fill a role; build a team of passionate, adaptable and collaborative individuals who will drive your success.