The challenge is in digging deep during the interview process to uncover what motivates people and making certain that those motivations align well with the job opportunity. It takes patience and diligence to do this well. We are so focused on selling the opportunity or in looking at surface only (resume, success, experience) that we never get at the motivational characteristics of an individual. Studies have shown that the characteristics are consistent throughtout one’s life including as early as our childhood.

The beauty about the concept is use can use the same core questions and techniques with everyone to uncover those motivations which allows you to get very good at the interviewing process. It also allows a candidate to make better decisions about aligning themselves with opportunites that will motivate them.

The same is true for people and jobs. Job match (fit) makes all the difference. Beyond interwiewing to gauge ‘natural point of aim’, I recommend ‘Total Person’ job-match-capable assessment instruments, like the Profile XT that headed Colleen Aylward’s list of ‘more affordable, yet robust examples’, in her recent Monster.com Hiring Center article entitled ‘Measuring Up’. Her introduction read: ‘A new generation of assessment tools goes beyond measuring personality traits. They take a more holistic approach to evaluating a candidate’s ability to perform a job successfully.’

I became acquainted with the Profile XT (PXT), three years ago. It measures thinking and reasoning styles, behavioral traits and occupational interests along twenty normal scales. It compares (contrasts) candidate results with the composite pattern established by top performers in any position of interest. It also includes a distortion factor that guards against ‘polishing’.

Most of us agree that job fit (match) matters, supremely, and we can all tell a fish from a rabbit. But as a former CEO who made (and presided over) his share of hiring mistakes, I know that we can all use as much objective help as we can get, when it comes to matching people and positions.

The Profile XT dramatically raises the odds of putting the right people in the right seats. And it does so quickly, conveniently, consistently, objectively, compliantly and very cost effectively. The PXT complements and supplements behavioral interviews. Moreover, PXT insights go beyond supporting a ‘good hire’ to serve the downstream missions of development, promotion, retention and succession, as well.

Thanks again, Todd, for your perspective!

Talk to folks who are happy in their jobs, and chances are they are using their strongest natural abilities. Likewise, talk to folks who are unhappy at work, and chances are their jobs require skills that are not natural for them…and their natural abilities are being ignored.

Definite food for thought.

Thanks again for flicking that ‘a-ha’ switch for so many!

Best,
Victor

Regards,
THR

I can’t wait for you to write an article showing us how to guide the interview to get the information we need to make better choices.

Well done!

A very insightful article!! I’ve always excelled in sales (particularly recruiting) and I’ve always been able to achieve top numbers with probably half the effort that my co-workers at the time had to expend to reach the same level….but….when asked how I did it I could never give a straight answer..not because I was trying to be evasive but rather because I truly didn’t have a clue!! I just did what I did naturally and found success, I never really analyzed it. I now know the root of my own methodology and would love to find a whole crew with the same innate ability (wouldn’t we all) but, as you said, easier said than done!! It’s hard to identify something that the candidates themselves might not even be aware of. Even with all of the questioning you allude to, I still think it ultimately comes down to a proven track record of success, the right personality for the position and the company culture that surrounds them. You can put the best of the best in the worst of the worst and not achieve the desired results because of it. I believe those three things are the base ingredients to a successful hire…..finding them is another story altogether and will always be a gut decision crap shoot at times!

In his book there is a chapter called ‘Making Strengths Productive’. This chapter speaks to basically the same notions of the Natural Point of Aim, whereby to get the most out of people you must identify their innate strengths and weaknesses and put them into roles that suit them best, regardless of what you have them doing now. Ultimately, this will provide the employee the opportunity to feel/be more productive, happier, and become a more valuable and loyal contributor to the organization.

From my own perspective as a job hopper, as a small business owner, and general dreamer and builder, you have absolutely hit the nail on the head.

Because someone has been doing something, does not mean they either like it or are excellent/passionate about it.

Now, how do we translate that into daily/weekly/monthly procedures and processes?

Shouldn’t we find OUR natural point of aim, before we start looking for a candidates??

Sincerely,

Jon Williamson IT Manager, Webmaster, Candidate Recruiting

Williamson Employment Services, Inc.
213 Hilltop Rd.
St. Joseph, MI 49085

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