Three years ago a study of over three hundred companies showed that nearly 50 per cent of newly-hired employees failed within the first 18 months on the job. Yet interestingly enough, lack of technical skills were not to blame. In fact, it was interpersonal skills that were to blame for the new employees' lack of success. But what, specifically, is the problem? According to Leadership IQ, a leading US human resource consulting firm, their study demonstrated that 26 per cent of new hires couldn't accept feedback, 23 per cent were unable to understand or manage emotions, 17 per cent lacked personal motivation and 15 per cent had the wrong temperament for the job. Only 11 per cent of new hires actually showed a lack of the necessary technical skills.
Development Dimensions, another US-based consulting firm, has also undertaken
several studies on why executives fail in such a short time. They suggest that
behaviours such as impulsivity, low tolerance for ambiguity, arrogance,
micromanaging, self promoting, risk aversion or approval dependencies can
quickly derail any senior leader.Yet, can new-hire mistakes be avoided? In my
view, yes, hiring mistakes can be avoided by following these simple
tips: Create accurate job specifications - some companies refuse to have job
descriptions, thinking they will restrict what employees can do. A good job
description is the basic requirement to creating accurate job specifications.
You can't hire the right person for a task if you aren't sure what those tasks
are or what skills and personal attributes are required. As well, be sure to
include organizational culture attributes that are important.
Involve the right people - sometimes a job search is confidential but, in most
cases, you need to consult with the managers who will be directly working with
the new employee. Seek their input on the selection criteria and specifically
focus on the interpersonal skills versus the technical skills.Applying an
appropriate search strategy - targeting and conducting your candidate search
requires multiple avenues of advertising. Use a combination of newspaper,
online job boards, social networking and employee referral processes so that
you get the widest circulation of your message.
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