It’s six months before you know what they are really like, I was told this week. I heard another story about a candidate who interviewed well and seemingly had all of the knowledge, technical skills and experience to do the job. Unfortunately he was completely lacking in people skills and the appointment turned out to be a costly mistake from which the organisation is currently trying to extricate itself.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the cost of recruitment error is between £5000 and £50,000 depending on seniority and potential for business errors. I suspect that figure does not take include the lost opportunities, management time and stress associated with a poor appointment.
So what can be done to improve selection and reduce the risk associated with recruitment?
A key predictor of performance and staying powers is personality – what’s under the surface. By using tools such as the 16PF, it is possible to get the full picture – a comprehensive measure of an individual’s whole personality, rather than just the traits they may selectively display at interview.
Candidates lacking competencies such as an openness to change, the ability to manage pressure or relate well to people can be selected out before appointment. Additionally where a number of candidates may appear to be equally suited to a role, it is possible to differentiate and identify the one most likely to succeed.
Now that organisations are starting to recruit again it makes sense take a more objective look at personality and reduce the risk in employee selection.