Reviewing This Week on Make HR Happen – Hiring for Fit

There is a popular movement to advocate hiring for cultural fit. This really means different things at different positions on the org chart. The most important consideration of fit is at the executive level where a mismatch can have a profound impact on the direction of the company. The top management of an organization can take some liberties that would be frowned upon among the rank and file. When a CEO summarily disqualifies someone for a top job because they don’t subscribe to certain beliefs, it is called insuring the direction of the company. When a mid level manager hires a good ole buddy from her last company, it is called cronyism. Why is one example right and the other wrong? The decision maker with the responsibility for making the ultimate steering decisions for the course of the company is not getting away with doing something wrong because it is usually not a personal act but a business decision. When personal decisions override common sense it can be a disaster. Institutionalizing a policy of fit can only be successful if the hiring choice is a matter of policy compliance and is non discriminatory toward other employees.

If candidates for hire really knew the behind the scenes activities of a company there would never be a problem of fit. They would opt out of a situation that would put them in an uncomfortable situation or on a road to failure. That never really happens because there is a tendency to hide the undercurrent of cronyism that is always there and jobs are misrepresented to lure talent into a position where they can be drained of everything they are. Is this not true? Not everywhere, but it is more prevalent than most people would like to admit. Hiring for fit would be so easy to do if we would only be honest about ourselves and our intentions. My pet unicorn told me that.

Image credit: rtimages / 123RF Stock Photo

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July 29 - Hiring for Fit – Send In the Clones – The word fit according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary is “…a sudden violent attack of a disease especially when marked by convulsions or unconsciousness… an emotional reaction as in anger or frustration… in an impulsive and irregular manner.”Obviously proponents of hiring for fit are not using this definition to describe their beliefs, but several words in this definition may be applicable… – more –

 

July 30 – Hiring for Fit – Finding the Pattern to Match – To use the word fit by itself means nothing. It goes without saying that if something is to be a good fit then there must be some sort of defined pattern that the fitted thing must match. In the context of hiring people for fit, the matching pattern is the group of people that are already part of the organization. Hiring indiscriminately will almost always insure a misfit. – more –

 

July 31 - Hiring for Fit – Find and Hire Culture Matches – Finding a good fit for a culture may not simply be a matter of matching candidates to the existing workforce. Hiring clones is usually a bad idea because it stifles creativity. Hiring for future needs without clearly visualizing the future culture is worse, but there is no doubt that culture is a major impact on hiring. A study by Leadership IQ reported that 46% of new hires will fail within 18 months. – more –

 

Aug 1 - Hiring for Fit – Remember Diversity Matters – The concept of hiring for fit is the latest challenge to a diverse workforce. The connotation of fit is often misconstrued to mean clones of the existing employees. If an all white, male, Gen-Y appearance is considered to be the norm the business is doomed. A contrived culture of young, attractive, and energetic employees is equally flawed and may even be illegal.  – more –