Skill vs. Attitude: What Makes the Best Candidate?
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Transcript of Skill vs. Attitude: What Makes the Best Candidate?
What Makes the Best Candidate?
Steve Lowisz Author, Educator, International Speaker
Presented By:
Webinar Series Sponsored By:
March 13th 2013
Review the primary reasons employees fail and eventually get fired
Learn the 4 key dimensions of every candidate and employee – What are the building blocks of the candidate’s DNA?
Understand the flaws with common recruiting/interviewing practices
Learn how to improve the questions you ask that will increase the odds of long-term success
In this WebinarYou will…
Is Attitude more Important than
Skill?
Mark Murphy’s “Hiring for Attitude”:States 46% of newly hired employees will fail
within 18 months, attributed to non-technical or
non-skill related items.
• Coachability• Emotional Intelligence• Motivation• Temperament• Technical Competence
Skill Vs. Attitude
89%
11%
Example: “Rudy”• Did he posses the
right attitude, focus, dedication?
• Did he posses the right skills?
• Did he posses the right abilities?
• Was he considered an “A” player?
Attitude did not take the place of skill and
ability.
Skill Vs. Attitude – The Test
Why are most employees fired for attitude?Because we focus on skills!
Think about position intake sessions with your hiring manager – what is the focus?
3-5 or more “required” skills • 3 years of sales experience• 2 years managing sales reps• Proven experience exceeding quota
Skill Vs. Attitude
Reality:
• Most recruiters focus on a candidate’s experience - skills
• Most recruiting processes drive transactional behavior – “Let me know what you think of this resume”
• Most recruiting processes/interviews do not focus on a complete understanding of an individual’s multiple dimensions
Skill Vs. Attitude
• Skills/
Experience
• Attitude
• Competency
• Culture Fit
The 4 Dimensions
The 4 Dimensions Defined
• Skills/Experience – Does the candidate have the training/education to do the job?
• Attitude – Has the candidate shown they want to do the job?
• Competency - Does the candidate have the ability/behaviors to do the job? (Rudy)
• Culture Fit – Does the candidate do the job the way the company does or wants to?
Skill determines fit for the function
Competency determines fit for the job
Attitude determines fit for the career
Culture determines fit for the company
Competency and
cultureSkill & Attitude MUST
be matched with Competency & Culture
The purpose and importance of asking the rightquestions
Effective candidate interviews must…
Account for Skill, Attitude, Competency and Culture
Be consistent in what they measure and who is measuring
Be thorough – not just a focus on technical skills of role
Have an associated answer guide
Why do so many Recruiters and Hiring Managers miss the mark?
Skill, Attitude, Competency and Culture make up a candidate’s “DNA” Candidate selection should only occur after fully understanding each of these attributes Interviewing techniques are supposed to highlight “soft skills”, but fall short in real application
Most Recruiters are conditioned to focus on skill only
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
So what are you looking for?• Can you identify the 3-5 must have skills of the role?
(Not years of experience!)• Skills Example: Presentation
Through reading books, taking classes and practicing, it is possible to learn how to give effective presentations. Presentation skills are more easily absorbed by some people than by others, but a presentation is still a task one can learn how to perform. Presentation skills may be part of a larger competency such as communication.
• Can you identify the most important competencies/behaviors to be successful in the role?
• Competency Example: Communication Many people refer to their strong communication skills, but
communication is really a competency that relies on a combination of certain skills, behavior and knowledge. To communicate effectively, for example, a person may need to understand cultural diversity and behave with patience.
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
So What are You Looking For?
• What are the top 3-5 specific attitudes you are looking for?
• What are the prevalent attitudes of your top performers? Bottom?
• Attitudes are most commonly position-specific Good Attitudes:
Poor Attitudes:Caring?
CondescendingPersistent?
PlacatingObjective?
Overwhelming
• What are the key cultural aspects/values of the organization?
• What are your company’s core values?• Bank – vs. – Google• Open to change, speed to execution, etc.
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
So What Do You Ask?
Skill and Competencies are usually asked together:• Ask the candidate what they accomplished• Ask the candidate how they accomplished it
Attitude and Culture are usually asked together:• Ask the candidate how they handled a situation• Ask the candidate why they handled a situation that
way
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates
1.Identify the Key Attitude
2.Identify differential situation – pro/con
3.Ask the question
4.Leave it hanging
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates
1. Identify the Key Attitude• Self-Directed
2. Identify differential situation – pro/con• High performers – proactively
acquired new skills• Low performers – Often throw their
hands up, resist, and complain
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates
3. Ask the question• Could you tell me about a time you
lacked the skills or knowledge to complete an assignment?
4. Let it hang• Could you tell me about a time you
lacked the skills or knowledge to complete an assignment, and how you overcame it? NO!
The purpose and importance of askingthe rightquestions
• Gaining full insight improves Candidate’s likelihood of long-term success
• Thorough assessment of Skill, Competency, Culture, and Attitude will save time and resources in the long-run, increase RIO
• Make sure you understand the required attitude and company core values
• When interviewing candidates, keep consistency across all interviewers - what are the skills, competencies and attitudes you are seeking?
Recruiter of the past:more HR and a lot more transactional
The important of looking at Skill, Attitude, Competency, & Culture evenly every time
The Balancing Act
Questions?
What Makes the Best Candidate? Measuring Skill, Attitude, Competency, and Culture
Steve Lowisz Author, Educator, & International Speaker
Presented By:
Webinar Series Sponsored By:
March 13th 2013