You just can’t understand what happened. “Past job performance is the best predictor
of future success”, as you’ve heard. As
you review the process you went through to hire you remember that he
interviewed well and had great references.
Everything pointed to his success.
What happened? Don’t worry, you
aren’t alone. This happens too often.
How can you ensure that this won’t happen again?
How do you find out if what sounds and looks like a great
candidate will be a great success?
Job Fit or Job Match. How well a candidate’s attributes fit the
needs of the position is the most important factor in his or her success. You may say, “I already know the factors,
such as motivation, drive, communication ability and integrity are import.” Yes, they are critically important but they
are not the only ones that are important and must be considered. For example, a person’s motivation for
success may be strong, but if you are asking a person with a very low level of assertiveness to be good at collecting, he or she will fail. If you are asking a person who has a low level of numerical reasoning to figure out, using their P&Ls, how to achieve profit targets, they will frustrate both you and him or her because they do not understand how the "numbers interrelate" and what they have to do to get them to produce the profit needed.
Psychologists
have known the importance of Match or Fit for a number of years, but few
business people have taken advantage of it.
In 1980 Herbert Greenberg and Jeanne Greenberg published a study of
360,000 salespeople in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe in the Aug-Sept.
1980 issue of the Harvard Business Review entitled “Job Matching for Better
Sales Performance”. While store managers are not the same as salespeople, the ability to preidct store manager's success is the same.
In
summary, the article reported in the findings that:
55% of those holding sales
positions have little or no ability to sell
25% have ability, but are
selling the wrong product
20% are doing precisely the job
that is appropriate
Important Points About The Study
The
Greenberg’s study covered a variety of industries with both high and low
turnover levels. They evaluated the
characteristics of age, sex, race, education, previous sales experience and Job
Match compared to results. Job match was
the only reliable indicator of determining performance and turnover.
Job Matched Not
Job Matched
After 6 months
Fired
or Quit 24% 46%
Top
25% of total group 11% 2%
Second
26-50% of group 28% 10%
After 14 Months
Fired
or Quit 28% 57%
Top
25% of group 19% 1%
Second
26-50% of group 42% 6%
Investing
resources in selecting the right person for an in-store position is a wise investment. Just as you’re careful as to
which merchandise for your store that match your customers need you select to ensure it matches your strategic needs, you must be
careful of the person you select to invest your time and money in if you want a
high-performing store manager that will stay with you.
Job fit is just one aspect of what is required to be successful. An applicant's value and beliefs in areas such as, integrity, work ethic, substance abuse and reliability, and are a very strong indication of whether they will be a long-term, productive employee, regardless of position. In a future post we will address how to screen out those who cause problems and cost you money.
Job fit is just one aspect of what is required to be successful. An applicant's value and beliefs in areas such as, integrity, work ethic, substance abuse and reliability, and are a very strong indication of whether they will be a long-term, productive employee, regardless of position. In a future post we will address how to screen out those who cause problems and cost you money.
