An article in the September 16, 2013 issue of Time magazine noted that eHarmony, the dating service, will begin offering a job-recruiting service sometime in 2014.\u00a0 Seriously??<\/p>\n
Apparently so.<\/p>\n
Not only that, but the article goes on to say that in addition to eHarmony, there are a bunch of startups who hope to use matchmaking algorithms to help pair up jobseekers with appropriate employers.\u00a0 Is this crazy?\u00a0 Maybe not, but one thing\u2019s for sure . . . there is a part of our hiring process that deserves much more attention than it usually gets.\u00a0 For more on this, please read below.<\/p>\n
Think about it.\u00a0 According to the Time article, \u201cThough the weak job market has lowered churn, as recently as 2007 about 3 million workers were voluntarily leaving their jobs each month.\u00a0 Today, fully 70% are said to be dissatisfied in their jobs.\u201d\u00a0 Three million workers bailing out per month?\u00a0 Seventy per cent dissatisfied?\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of unhappy campers!\u00a0 And that churn, says the Time story, fuels a $400 billion global recruiting industry.\u00a0 While that\u2019s a big number, it\u2019s not necessarily all that surprising.\u00a0 It\u2019s no secret that filling a job is an expensive proposition.\u00a0 So if we can find ways to reduce churn, there\u2019s a lot of money on the table to be saved.<\/p>\n
For me, the key line in the Time story was, \u201csoft skills and \u2018cultural fit\u2019 can be better predictors of a good hire than education and experience.\u201d\u00a0 But there\u2019s the rub for the would-be technologist matchmakers.\u00a0 They admit they\u2019re having a tough time reducing a company\u2019s culture to an algorithm.\u00a0 And they worry about sub-cultures within the same company.\u00a0 Is the \u201cculture\u201d the same in the accounting department as it is in the sales department?\u00a0 And what about senior managers?\u00a0 Do they exert more influence on a company\u2019s culture than the rank-and-file?\u00a0 Long story short, there are a lot of variables and moving parts here, so don\u2019t look for matchmaking technology to be available at Best Buy anytime soon.<\/p>\n
The real story here is not that matchmaking companies want to enter the recruitment market, it\u2019s that their focus in trying to do so is squarely on personality traits and characteristics of the jobseeker, and personality traits and characteristics (culture) of the hiring company.\u00a0 Those will play a much larger role in a good hire than will having attended the \u201cright\u201d school and having gained the \u201cright\u201d experience.\u00a0 Not that those things are unimportant, it\u2019s just that they are poor predictors of a good hire.<\/p>\n
So for the time being, we\u2019re stuck with the tools we have to uncover the secrets of cultural \u201cfit.\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thoughtfully identify the traits, characteristics, and values that make up your culture.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully craft interview questions that will expose the traits, characteristics, and values you\u2019re looking for.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Think about using a personality profile instrument.\u00a0 There are a lot of them available, and while none are perfect, they may point to some areas you want to explore in an interview.<\/p>\n
Crude as they are (compared to an elegant algorithm), those are the tools we have to work with.\u00a0 Use them wisely or you will end up leaving a lot of money on the table.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An article in the September 16, 2013 issue of Time magazine noted that eHarmony, the dating service, will begin offering a job-recruiting service sometime in 2014.\u00a0 Seriously?? Apparently so. Not only that, but the article goes on to say that in addition to eHarmony, there are a bunch of startups who hope to use matchmaking<\/p>\n