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Culture-Based Philosophy
It is not sufficient to have knowledge and experience alone. One must also have the right attitude, aptitude and personal attributes important to the organization. Adopting a culture-based philosophy ensures that a person has the right mind-set and value base along with necessary knowledge and experience. Then, the person can be trained for the particular opportunity. One example of this would be companies that consider the growing need for Spanish-speaking employees. The estimated explosion of the Hispanic population has made this language skill and cultural attribute highly sought after. Many organizations are seeking individuals who not only have specific skills in a particular industry but who also speak Spanish and understand the Hispanic culture. One drawback to this is that it is often like “finding a needle in a hay stack,” but successful recruitment of such individuals can pay great dividends long term.
Smart companies hire individuals with the ability and an aptitude to learn the skills and knowledge required for the position and who fit the cultural environment of the organization. The end goal is not to fill a vacancy or put one warm body in a position; rather, the ultimate goal is to identify and employ those who are a good cultural fit for the company. One who meshes with the business culture will most often wind up employed long term, and be successful in any position for which he/she has experience, knowledge and a willingness and ability to learn.
Profile Philosophy
One of the most common mistakes is finding the right set of skills but the wrong type of person. When reviewing what is important in the hiring process and examining resultant research on internal and external benchmarking, many industries agree that a key factor in successful hiring practices is to consider “who” a person is rather than “what” a person knows.
Looking within the existing workforce to establish the profile of a successful person for any given position can be extremely valuable. Evaluating current employees and in some cases even those who have left the company to determine what attributes and competencies are important and/or critical can assist in improving the process of identifying and employing individuals who will have a higher probability of success. Benchmarking and establishing a profile, or job-match pattern, for what a company considers necessary in a successful employee is key. Looking outside the organization, both within the industry and outside in similar roles, aids in developing a consistent and successful hiring strategy.
Some have experienced success with profiling only certain selected positions within the company. These businesses identify the personal attributes of the people who are already thriving, and then hire people like them. Organizations evaluate their star performers, identify their behaviors and attitudes and develop the profile based solely on these successful employees. From there, they look at what the specific needs are for the individual positions and make adjustments accordingly. Throughout the hiring process, behavior-based interview questions are developed based either on the results of a job-fit tool or based on specific situations encountered at their company.
Smart organizations see the benefits of this investment proposition. Ignoring the principle that “you are who you are,” and looking past the basic personality traits and competencies one may need for success in a particular position could be extremely detrimental to an organization.
Evolution
The best hiring philosophies evolve as a company changes and grows. In years past, when recruiting for certain jobs, the key attribute was technical knowledge alone, and little consideration was given to other skills that might be necessary. This created employees who found it difficult to communicate with other functional areas in which their interaction was necessary and often led to increased turnover of those who did not fit the organization itself. Today, companies are recruiting individuals who can work well within a cross-functional team and who have the ability to develop relationships across many levels of the organization.
Some universities are also taking notice of the employer’s needs. College campuses planning for their students’ future and careers take into consideration what employers will need and what they will be looking for on graduation day. Businesses are seeking well-rounded individuals. Universities such as Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH see the evolution in hiring philosophies and are preparing their students ahead of graduation. Woven into their college career, it is required for all majors, including technical majors such as engineering, to complete courses referred to as “SAGES,” which stands for “Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship” for all four years of college. Through these courses students are exposed to communication skills, critical thinking skills and leadership skills which in the past would not necessarily have been a focus. This ensures that graduates are prepared to be the well-rounded individuals companies are seeking and can relate to people at all levels and functions of an organization, not just the ones that share in their particular areas of expertise.
Organizations use many different hiring tactics and philosophies to fulfill their hiring needs. Whichever philosophy is followed, it is wise to review it from time to time to ensure there is alignment with the organization’s vision and goals. The best hiring philosophy is one that is well thought-out, executed properly to be successful and serves the unique needs of the organization.
Yamatzy De León-Mettee is a consultant with HR Department Unlimited. HRDU provides human resource and training consultation for employers. HR Department Unlimited is a monthly contributor to Construction Business Owner and can be reached at www.HRDUonline.com.
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People Management 
