I have been interviewing, hiring, and leading people within organizations for a number of years. I want to share with you some criteria I use to assess whether an individual and an organization are the right match for one another. In other words - using the "Good to Great" bus analogy, how do you know when someone is right for the bus? And how do you know if the bus is the right one for you? I know the use of the Five things, or the Ten Steps, etc. is overused, but I couldn't help myself.
Here are my Five C's for Determining the Right Organizational Fit.
1. Credibility – effective balance between Character and Credentials
a. Does this person have character? Character is defined as: trustworthiness, empathetic, passionate.
b. Does the candidate have the right credentials to do the job effectively? Credentials are defined as having the right skills and abilities to do the job, educational background, and possess knowledge that is considered to be “valuable” to the organization.
c. What are the identified success measurements (expectations) for this position, and does the candidate have the ability and willingness to deliver on these expectations? It is vital that they have both the ability and a willingness to do the job.
2. Culture – there needs to be a fit between the values of the organization and the candidate you are considering for the position.
a. What are the organizational values and how closely do they match the values of the candidate?
b. Is the environment one that will increase this person’s productivity?
c. Does the organization provide opportunities to get the employee engaged?
d. Can the potential hire articulate in the interview process how they engage in a team setting?
If in the interview process the employee describes himself or herself as a team player; ask them to explain what they mean by that. I have reminded them of this later in situations where I have observed them not demonstrating teamwork.
3. Challenge – The job must be challenging, but the organization must provide enough support to help the employee meet the challenge.
a. Will this individual be a change agent within your organization?
b. Can this individual help you to “raise the bar” and take your organization to the next level?
c. Will this position be challenging to this candidate?
d. Will this position provide them with the right balance of challenge and support?
e. Support can be on-going training and learning opportunities, a development plan, or regular coaching by their supervisor.
4. Compensation-
a. First assess the job value – how vital is this position in your organization?
b. Assess the worth of the candidate.
c. How much are you willing to pay to get this candidate?
d. The organization must pay a competitive wage. I have had people leave jobs they loved because they were not even making enough money to pay for their most basic needs.
e. How much of an investment are you willing or need to make in this candidate? The less you need to invest, should increase their worth. This will increase your overall bottom line.
For example, if your organization offers tuition assistance to employees pursuing an advanced degree; the candidate who already has this will save you this expense.
f. Compensation goes beyond monetary investment. What other things might you identify as “value” to the candidate (i.e. flex time, bonus, work/life balance, educational support – tuition reimbursement, etc.)?
5. Commitment -
a. Commitment goes both ways. An employee needs to show a commitment to the organization, and the organization needs to demonstrate a commitment to its employees. With any relationship, there needs to be growth.
b. What plan does the organization have to continue developing this individual?
c. Is there growth potential for this individual? Growth can be identified as career progression, more challenging work, and or more variety of work?
d. If I have done well increasing fit in the four previous “C’s”, I will increase my likelihood of greater commitment.
Usually if there is apprehension on the candidate’s part of accepting the position, or the organization offering the position to the candidate, I have found that it is usually because one of the “C’s” is not a match.An effective Talent Acquisition Manager or Recruiter will be able to create a series of behavioral interview questions that will explore these Five C’s.
By Frank J. Ciccia, Principal Consultant Illuminare Group
www.illuminaregroup.com
Here are my Five C's for Determining the Right Organizational Fit.
1. Credibility – effective balance between Character and Credentials
a. Does this person have character? Character is defined as: trustworthiness, empathetic, passionate.
b. Does the candidate have the right credentials to do the job effectively? Credentials are defined as having the right skills and abilities to do the job, educational background, and possess knowledge that is considered to be “valuable” to the organization.
c. What are the identified success measurements (expectations) for this position, and does the candidate have the ability and willingness to deliver on these expectations? It is vital that they have both the ability and a willingness to do the job.
2. Culture – there needs to be a fit between the values of the organization and the candidate you are considering for the position.
a. What are the organizational values and how closely do they match the values of the candidate?
b. Is the environment one that will increase this person’s productivity?
c. Does the organization provide opportunities to get the employee engaged?
d. Can the potential hire articulate in the interview process how they engage in a team setting?
If in the interview process the employee describes himself or herself as a team player; ask them to explain what they mean by that. I have reminded them of this later in situations where I have observed them not demonstrating teamwork.
3. Challenge – The job must be challenging, but the organization must provide enough support to help the employee meet the challenge.
a. Will this individual be a change agent within your organization?
b. Can this individual help you to “raise the bar” and take your organization to the next level?
c. Will this position be challenging to this candidate?
d. Will this position provide them with the right balance of challenge and support?
e. Support can be on-going training and learning opportunities, a development plan, or regular coaching by their supervisor.
4. Compensation-
a. First assess the job value – how vital is this position in your organization?
b. Assess the worth of the candidate.
c. How much are you willing to pay to get this candidate?
d. The organization must pay a competitive wage. I have had people leave jobs they loved because they were not even making enough money to pay for their most basic needs.
e. How much of an investment are you willing or need to make in this candidate? The less you need to invest, should increase their worth. This will increase your overall bottom line.
For example, if your organization offers tuition assistance to employees pursuing an advanced degree; the candidate who already has this will save you this expense.
f. Compensation goes beyond monetary investment. What other things might you identify as “value” to the candidate (i.e. flex time, bonus, work/life balance, educational support – tuition reimbursement, etc.)?
5. Commitment -
a. Commitment goes both ways. An employee needs to show a commitment to the organization, and the organization needs to demonstrate a commitment to its employees. With any relationship, there needs to be growth.
b. What plan does the organization have to continue developing this individual?
c. Is there growth potential for this individual? Growth can be identified as career progression, more challenging work, and or more variety of work?
d. If I have done well increasing fit in the four previous “C’s”, I will increase my likelihood of greater commitment.
Usually if there is apprehension on the candidate’s part of accepting the position, or the organization offering the position to the candidate, I have found that it is usually because one of the “C’s” is not a match.An effective Talent Acquisition Manager or Recruiter will be able to create a series of behavioral interview questions that will explore these Five C’s.
By Frank J. Ciccia, Principal Consultant Illuminare Group
www.illuminaregroup.com
