Page 68 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

48 Building a High Morale Workplace

untrain. This is why some organizations begin to gauge a candi-
date’s attitude from the moment he or she walks through the
door. Receptionists are great at sizing up a person’s attitude and

demeanor before the interview and then reporting to managers.
Do you ask your receptionist for input on candidates?

Four Steps to Smarter Hiring

Hire for attitude and train for skill. Attitude is the most impor-
tant criterion for most jobs. Even in highly technical or scientific
jobs, statistics prove over and over that having the right attitude

is directly related to strong performance.

Practice the Popeye Principle. The cartoon character was prob-
ably right when he said, “I yam what I yam,” and so most likely
are your job candidates. Never hire someone on the belief that
he or she can be changed. It’s a fatal mistake.

Let behavior predict behavior. The best predictor of future

behavior is past behavior. This is not to say that people do not
grow or improve over time, but a manager can get a good feel
for how someone will act in future situations by examining that
person’s actions in similar

Interviewing Tip past situations.
Never ask theoretical ques-
Simulate the job. BMW
tions in an interview. For exam-
built a simulated assembly
ple, a question like “What would you
line just for this purpose. If
do if …?” only invites a candidate to
exaggerate or imagine his or her abili- job candidates cannot per-
ties.The rule here is to stay out of the form several job-related
‘woulds.’ Instead, probe into the candi- tasks that meet the strict
date’s experience:“When have you requirements of the job,
worked under a lot of pressure to they are not hired.
meet a deadline and then missed it?
Tell me the circumstances and what Audition for Attitude
you learned from the experience.”
Your organization will
Remember: you’re looking for desir-
flourish, profit, perform
able behaviors and attitudes that iden-
tify star talent. beyond your greatest
expectations, and exude