Jeremy L. Hart <
jhart@TENAGRA.COM> wrote:
>Some workers out-perform their colleagues
by a ratio of 10:1. Robert Kelley calls
them "star" workers, and has spent a lifetime
trying to unlock their secrets. His book,
"How to Be a Star at Work," reveals that --
after years of intensive productivity research
at Bell Labs and 3M -- he and his team could find
*no common traits* among star workers. They aren't
smarter; they don't work longer or harder; they have
no special social skills or drive.<
It comes as no surprise to myself and I am sure to our 20,000 clients.
Each star performer has job fit for their particular job. Take them out
of their job and stick them somewhere else and they are less likely to
be star performers. It is also related to who they work for as well.
>The excerpt is called "Stars are Made, Not Born,"
and it explains how the author and a team of
researchers worked for years searching for
common characteristics of highly productive
people, only to come up empty handed.<
We call the concept job fit and we find that productive people in
different jobs have different success traits so we are not surprised
by their results.
>You can imagine the frustration of personnel
managers who had hoped to zero-in on certain
traits when hiring people. <
Actually, the job fit concept does exactly that--zero-in on certain
traits when hiring people.
Job success requires not only the appropriate education and relevant
work experience but also the necessary mental abilities, interests
and on-the-job behaviors--we call it job fit, see below.
According to our 20,000 clients across the country the job fit concept
is what brings them the most success in the selection/job assignment
process.
Few people are familiar with the definition of job fit that we rely upon:
"Job fit is the degree to which the
candidates cognitive abilities,
interests, and personality dynamics
fit those required by the position."
The following email I sent to Hal Lancaster, The Wall Street
Journal columnist, speaks to the issue of how the job fit
concept helps employers select the right people to hire.
The results from a recent job fit pilot study are included
in the email. Ask to see message 2 of 2 for an explanation
of the job fit concept.
Did your see my quote in Hal Lancaster's column in the July 14
Wall Street Journal? Hal was intrigued by how my nephew Paul used
the job fit concept to know that he would be successful on the job
if he accepted the job. He accepted the job and has been successful
in the job for 3+ years. Fortune magazine interviewed me recently for
an upcoming article about corporate culture--can applicants know
if they are well-suited for the culture.
Once an applicant pool is reduced to those qualified to be
hired, a job fit/job match assessment is used to see which
of the qualified applicants are most likely to become
successful employees. Using the concept of job fit when
hiring/promoting/selecting/training helps to ensure that
employees will be successful.
Sincerely,
Bob
------------------------------------------------------------
3-3-98
Re: Column--Making a Good Hire Takes a Little
Instinct And a Lot of Research
---------------------------------
Hello Hal:
Its been awhile since I last emailed you about one of your columns.
I think it was about career guidance--the Career Mapper.
Today's column was very good--as usual--and I thought I would send
you the results of a recent job fit pilot study, see below. I hope
I didn't already sent it to you. Our clients rely on the concept of
job fit to learn about job applicants' core behaviors and whether
or not those core behaviors meet the demands of the job. What is
important to our clients is not the job applicant's interview
behavior but rather their on-the-job-behaviors.
I agree with your experts that past behavior is the best predictor
of future behavior, but I disagree that managers can learn what
they need to know by verbally asking questions. This approach gives
an unfair advantage to the assertive, outgoing, extroverted,
verbally proficient, high mental ability job applicants whether
or not the job demands these traits. A huge eye opener for our clients.
Our clients start by assessing their best employees in each job
and using their assessment scores to develop a success hiring
pattern. Our clients are amazed that:
1 - without the assessment they hardly ever know which
job finalist best matches the success hiring pattern, and
2 - the best interviewee is not always the best match for the job.
Jim Massa is on the right track, but with his approach he will
generally offer the job to the most articulate applicant who
gives the best answers whether or not that applicant has the
best job fit.
Few managers can determine Job Fit so what they evaluate is
the applicants interviewing skills, qualifications, education,
etc., but not Job Fit. On page 25 of "RIGHT PERSON-RIGHT JOB;
GUESS OR KNOW, The Breakthrough Technologies of Performance
Information" Chuck Russell writes:
"Job Fit is the degree to which the candidates
cognitive abilities, interests, and personality
dynamics fit those required by the position."
Managers often confuse verbally ability with job fit.
I agree with Mr. Shamis that "there's no correlation between
handling pressure in an interview and on the job." Even ill-
tempered job applicants can fake it for an hour or two and
even for a day. Hiring employees is not the same as hiring
actors for a play.
You are correct that for most employers "Intuition plays a
role in hiring decisions, primarily in the nebulous realm of
cultural fit" but for users of the job fit concept, cultural
fit is not nebulous at all--you can see it.
Here are the highlights of recent job fit study done by a client.
The Company:
===========
- National and international offices
- Insurance and financial services
- 15,000+ employees worldwide
- 8 Divisions in the US
Before the Job Fit Method:
=========================
- Company-wide turnover was 34% the preceding year
- Company-wide sales averaged 101% of sales quota
After the Job Fit Method:
========================
- The job fit method was piloted in 1 of the 8 US Divisions.
- Division turnover reduced to 19% after 6 months of using the method.
- New salespeople who scored 85% or higher averaged 916% of sales quota.
- New salespeople who scored 84% or lower averaged 187% of sales quota.
- The job fit method is being implemented in the other 7 divisions.
If you'd like, I'll send you information about the job fit method.
Sincerely,
Bob
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