The saying ‘past behavior is the best predictor of future performance’ is one that recruitment guru Lou Adler stands by. He believes the way to predict someone’s ability to succeed in a role is to look at what they’ve achieved in the past.
Others are more inclined to ‘go with their gut’, basing their hiring decisions on the candidate’s attitude and non-professional achievements as indicators of their ability to succeed.
Liz Elting, CEO of Transperfect, is one such believer in attitude. In a recent article she said ‘You can’t train for enthusiasm, work ethic or interpersonal skills. So if in doubt, I always hire for attitude. My motto is, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.”’
So which of these is the ‘right way’ to make a hire? Let’s look at both schools of thought in more detail.
Key Takeaways:
-
Performance based hiring can be reduced to a ‘systematic business process’, if applied to all aspects of the recruiting procedure.
-
Personality based hiring means hiring someone with a likeable personality that is able to be taught the skills needed to perform the role.
-
Both performance and personality based hiring ways should be reviewed before making a final decision.
What’s the Best Indicator Of Future Performance?
-
Performance-Based Hiring
According to the Adler camp, performance based hiring can be reduced to a ‘systematic business process’, if applied to all aspects of the recruiting procedure. This involves writing performance profiles rather than job descriptions, sourcing potential candidates in non-traditional ways and asking performance-based questions at the interview stage.
-
Performance Profiles
While a job description merely lists required skills and qualifications, a performance profile describes the challenges and opportunities offered by a position. This is designed to attract the interest of top performers, who are passive candidates, not actively seeking a new job.
The performance profile defines what the candidate would need to do to be considered great at this job. It throws out a challenge and offers opportunities to excel, which may be lacking in their current position.
-
Sourcing Candidates
Just as traditional job descriptions don’t appeal to top performers, so traditional sourcing methods don’t work either. According to advocates of performance-based advertising, top performers must be wooed, not pursued. Rather than using job boards such as Seek, where they rarely go, networking sites such as Linkedin are better places to spread the word to top performers through friends and colleagues.
-
Interviewing
A performance-based interview should consist of two types of questions:
-
‘What has been your most significant accomplishment in your career?’ This relates directly to their past experience and, if followed with more specific questions, can determine whether they have demonstrated in their past the ability to achieve similar performance objectives to those you are seeking.
-
‘How would you solve this particular problem if you were given this role?’ The second type of question is more hypothetical. This shows the candidate’s ability to plan, strategize and solve work-related problems. Again, you should ask for specific examples from their previous jobs.
According to Adler, ‘The ability to visualize a problem and offer alternative solutions in combination with a track record of successful comparable past performance in a similar environment is a strong predictor of on-the-job success.’
-
-
Personality based hiring
Hiring for attitude is a school of thought that also has a large following. The theory behind it is that you can teach the right person the skills they need to perform the role, but only if they have the right temperament.
It’s particularly popular in customer service-based industries, where attitude is so important. An example of how successful it has been for some companies is that of Southwest Airlines in the US.
Their hiring process begins by putting a group of applicants in a room and observing how they interact. Those who exhibit a sociable attitude are then interviewed individually to determine if they have the right personality to fit with the company culture (i.e. must like being around people, have a strong work ethic and know how to have fun).
Southwest’s ability to identify the right type of person has led to a flood of like-minded candidates applying, who see themselves as fitting the mold; a kind of self-selection process. Southwest now has a huge pool of potential job applicants and the lowest staff turnover rate in the industry.
It’s important with attitude-based hiring not to go too far and hire someone just because they think like you do. After all, you don’t want a team of ‘mini-me’s’, but a team of people who will make your business successful.
Attitude or Experience for Hiring FAQ
-
What is the best predictor of excellence in performance?
The best predictor of excellence in an employees performance is following rules and procedures and putting in extra effort. Employees that follow the rules and company procedures are more likely to have excellent performance over those employees who slack off and try to go around rules. Any employee that puts in extra effort to produce the best work will have excellent performance.
-
What traits predict success?
often times, traits that predict success are intelligence, energy, and integrity. It’s important to hire employees with the best traits to have them succeed and for the company to succeed. Having employees that are intelligent, energized, and have integrity can help you predict their success within the company.
-
What are some personality traits of great leadership?
Personality traits of great leaders include extroversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Extroversion is someone who is talkative, assertive, and sociable which all help them become a great leader. It’s also important for a leader to be conscientious and produce the best work possible. A leader should also be agreeable and likeable. Most employees won’t respond well to someone who does not possess these traits.
Final Thoughts
As with most arguments, no one theory has all the answers and the middle ground is often the firmest. Both schools of thought have something to offer, so perhaps the best approach would be to take something from each.
Success is a product of skill, attitude and motivation. Past performance should be assessed along with the right attitude and if both boxes are ticked, you can be fairly certain you’ve found the right person for the job.
Author
Paul Slezak
With over two decades of experience in the recruitment and human capital industry, Paul Slezak has established himself as a transformative force in the realm of leadership and career coaching, group facilitation, and talent acquisition. His unique perspective, drawn from his early career as a leader in global recruitment firms and his entrepreneurial success with his own start-up, has enabled him to make a significant impact on leaders, teams, and organizations across the world. Paul's passion for helping others achieve success and high performance is evident in his commitment to transforming leaders and their teams at local, national, and international levels. He specializes in promoting the importance of human-centered intelligence, focusing on soft skills such as authenticity, transparency, and trust to complement business-centered acumen and drive better workplace outcomes. As an impartial facilitator, Paul brings his expertise to team offsites and strategy days, ensuring alignment on goals, values, and culture while keeping participants on task. His engaging and energetic presence, coupled with his unique "entertraining" and "edutaining" delivery style, enables him to connect with audiences both large and intimate, sharing personal and professional anecdotes that inspire and energize.
