Brains in a jar - employee recruitment

HR Magazine, April, 1999 by Jonathan A. Segal

When you hire a brain, it usually comes with a personality. So why not examine that, too, when recruiting?

Think about your last few hires who didn't work out. On paper, they probably seemed fantastic. Most likely, they possessed the education, work experience and technical skills you deemed necessary for success.

Even so, they failed. It was a "bad fit." Why?

When we hire, we tend to focus on objective factors. When we fire, we often focus on subjective failings. When we rehire, we return to objective qualifications.

While objective qualifications are necessary, they often are insufficient. Subjective factors relating to interpersonal skill or style can be just as critical. People, after all, are more than a collection of technical skills and degrees. When we hire a new employee, we introduce into our work environment a whole person - with varying communication styles and unique personal strengths and weaknesses.

If we ignore that reality - if we try to hire "brains in a jar" - we limit our business potential.

To avoid repeating our hiring mistakes, we need to incorporate into the hiring process those subjective factors that have proven critical to success in a given position.

Of course, infusing the hiring process with subjective criteria is not without legal risk; subjective factors can be more difficult to defend than objective ones. But the legal risk of considering subjective factors must be balanced against the business risk of avoiding them.

It is not a question of risk avoidance, therefore, but rather one of risk selection. Further, the legal risks associated with the legitimate use of subjective factors in the hiring process can be minimized by measuring them in more objective ways.

Job Descriptions

Most job descriptions address the objective requirements of the job but are silent when it comes to discussing interpersonal requirements. This absence is legally significant.

Subjective factors that are essential to a job should be included in the job description, as the following example demonstrates.

Assume you have an applicant who graduated No. I in his class from one of the finest graduate schools in the country. He also has incredible technical skills as measured by his many certifications.

There's only one problem - he is as hatefully arrogant as he is technically qualified. Can you refuse to hire him on that basis?

If the job description fails to mention interpersonal requirements, then the applicant is qualified. To rely upon unstated interpersonal requirements is risky.

Conversely, if the job description clearly explains interpersonal requirements, then their consideration is legally defensible. If a job requires that an employee be personable, then an applicant who is highly arrogant is not qualified.

To give yourself the legal leeway to exclude such an applicant, you need only add a broad statement to the job description - such as, "strong interpersonal skills required." While you could write a more detailed requirement, such as "able to work collaboratively and effectively with internal and external staff," this may limit your options.

Ultimately, whatever wording you choose, you shouldn't hide the fact that subjective interpersonal factors are relevant in the hiring decision. Make those factors clear in the job description. Remember that the job description is a road map for finding the right person for the job, as well as a tool that can make or break you in the event of a legal challenge.

Of course, even if a job description states the interpersonal requirements of a job, an employer's reliance solely on its "gut" is dicey. It's important that employers be able to articulate objective facts to support their gut instincts. Here are some ways you can do just that.

Pre-Interview Data

Most employers don't begin to judge an applicant's interpersonal skills until the interview process. However, applicants may reveal a great deal about themselves prior to the actual interview.

For example, the first contact you have with applicants usually is through their resumes and cover letters. While the resume reveals something of applicants' objective credentials, the cover letter often speaks volumes about their interpersonal style.

In today's busy world, less is often more. When applicants' cover letters are longer than their resumes, they may not be the right candidate for a job that requires decisiveness.

Or look at this opening line from a cover letter that one company received: "I can solve all of your problems." If you want unrealistic grandiosity, you have your candidate!

The lesson: Take a look at the personnel files of terminated employees. In some cases, the initial communication augured the performance/behavioral problems to come.

Another way to obtain information about applicants' interpersonal style prior to the interview is to examine the employment application. Consider putting a written statement on the form telling candidates to fill out the application in full - even if doing so duplicates the information on their resumes. Notwithstanding the clarity of the direction, some applicants will not fill out the application in its entirety. Instead, they will simply attach their resume.