Creating a Job-Fit Company

Are the right people in the right seats on the right bus?

When employees (and bosses) are in the right job (job-fit), it creates a fun and rewarding work environment! The team and individual members make significant contributions to the success of the organization. Everyone experiences high levels of job satisfaction and loyalty. There is a synergy of ideas and working relationships that excel beyond the norm. Sales increase. Customers experience higher satisfaction working with the company. Profits soar. These are the results of job-fit.

Unfortunately, more than 63 percent of the working population do not fit their jobs! Why? We rely upon traditional selection methods and then rationalize hiring failures as “not our fault.” We accept poor job-fit mistakes as part of the norm. We fail to create and follow a hiring and selection system. The fact is a business is often better off leaving an “empty seat on the bus” rather than randomly filling the position with someone not well-suited to the job.

Hire the Right Person. We are often snookered by verbally adept candidates. We fall into this trap when someone has the ability to sell themselves, whether they possess true interest or capability to do the job well or not. Studies show, poor job-fit produces unhappy employees. Those who are unhappy in their work create miscommunication, make more mistakes, fail to focus on critical elements, and blame others for their inability to produce required results. They are overly focused on things that don’t matter rather than solutions that fit the vision and values of the company.

Understand the Financial Impact. Hiring people who do not fit your job requirements and your company’s culture will cost you time and money. They may even irrevocably damage your reputation. The wrong person can actually increase your business and product liability.  Unfortunately, there is no line item on your financial statement about this costly outcome. But if you analyze the true expenses, tangible and intangible, you’ll be shocked and dismayed by these hidden costs. For a quick and easy calculation, read Page 20 of Hire Amazing Employees, Second Edition (http://BizSavvyHire.com) or contact me at JLSeibly@SeibCo.com

Select the Right Tools. Develop promotion and selection processes built upon gathering reliable, valid, relevant information. This can be a challenge since we consider using scientifically designed assessments as costly, and not as important as our gut feelings. The added falsehood is that we believe we can coach, train and motivate anyone to do anything. This is wrong!

Select assessment tools that meet Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines (for a copy of the guidelines, contact me at JLSeibly@SeibCo.com) and that provide information regarding how well their mental engine, their ability to drive the engine, and their interest in doing so, fit within your company, for any specific job.

Train the Interviewers.  Many interviewers rely upon their intuition and perceptions (their guts). The pitfalls are only hear what they want to hear. They don’t catch or ignore conflicting signals. The facts are, job candidates say all the right things and make the right type of promises to get the job offer. How often has this happened to you? Use a structured interview process to discern candidates’ depth of job skill. Implement use of qualified and scientific assessments that contain interview questions. Then, use these behaviorally based questions to provide a structure to ascertain reliable job fit.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010-2015

Are you looking for business advice and laser-coaching to resolve an issue or situation? Contact me. I’ve been a business advisor and author for over 20 years. I’ve guided the creation of new solutions for 1,000’s of business challenges and published the book, Hire Amazing Employees (BizSavvyHire.com). Check out my website: SeibCo.com.

Your boss is leaving.

When your boss leaves, whether willingly or not, you need to be ready. If you are qualified for the position, find out how to apply. Have your brag statements available and share them appropriately. (http://TimeToBrag.com) If you’re not qualified, see this as a great opportunity to network with your former boss (or boss’s boss) to determine what you need to do to be ready for the next opportunity—don’t wait until after your boss has left; he or she will be less likely to want to maintain ties at that point. Be prepared to seek other jobs within the company or new opportunities with new employers, since new bosses tend to bring in their own people. Although new bosses should always assess current talent before replacing them, shake-ups happen too often, which makes it imperative for you to be ready to move on. In the meantime, be willing to take on other job responsibilities to broaden your depth and breadth of experience and knowledge. Build a great working relationship with the new boss. It may save your job, or provide valuable references or contacts for the next one!

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013