- “Fit” 50% – in the culture of the company, division, department, and of course, with the manager.
- “Passion” 40% – for the industry, the company, the job.
- “Ability” 10% – to do the job.
Are you surprised?
From my experience, this is true, as a manager I interview for those first two. Frankly, they determine how easy it will be for the manager to integrate them into the team and that they will want to succeed. I generally leave it to my staff to provide feedback on the candidate’s “ability” after their interviews – but given the constant changing nature of skills needed, and that we have “our way”, the candidate will have a learning curve ahead of them anyway.
Interestingly, this is basically the opposite of what it seems internal HR recruiters do: they focus on trying to determine “Ability” from the details of the resume. So, what’s going to get your resume in the door is not what’s going to get it past the manager’s shredder.
I’d really like to hear your comments on the standings of Fit, Passion, and Ability!
Posts
How true! How you get along with everyone you are in touch with through the process of submitting your app, communicating about the interview, and then handling that ever-so-important discussion is the key. There is no legal way to say to someone in an interview that "we like you", or "we think your personality is just right", and yet at the same time, that is exactly what every person from this planet is thinking throughout the meeting. How often we hear about being careful how you treat receptionists, adminsitrative personnel who may help you line up the interview. All of these communications mean more than good manners, or professionalism. They get comments like "there was something about him that I liked", or "she seemed so friendly". Vague terms that have no legal bearing on hiring practices, yet somehow get silently factored in.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to passion, we listen for vocal tone/variety, exuberance expressed in the eyes, and some body language. Anyone can write words on a resume, only your actions can make those words come alive with passion!
Thanks Trainer Guy. Those are excellent points on making those 3 factors successful!
ReplyDeleteTodd,
ReplyDeleteThank you, your comments support the postings we have been making over the last few months. For example http://virtualjobcoach.com/blog/?p=1542 which talks clearly about the need to match yourself at all levels.
Please keep raising important issues for job seekers.
Good hunting to all.
Barry at VirtualJobCoach
I had someone on LinkedIn post a comment I wanted to pass along. He keeps a note by his computer reminding him of questions he needs to answer YES to when applying for a job, and also during an interview:
ReplyDeleteCan I do this job?
Will I do this job?
Will I fit in here?
I completely agree with Todd's comments about "fit, passion, and then ability." As an HR executive who has been on both sides of the conversation, I absolutely believe in the "connection" factor during the interview process. Once an interviewer connects with a candidate, and the candidate exhibits the expected "passion" for the job/company, the "ability" factor becomes a non-issue. The manager will unconsciously become a champion for the candidate to validate his/her bias. The definition of “fit” in this particular process is finding a candidate who fits into the personal/social expectations of the interviewer. Once a manager connects with a candidate, the manager will become fully engaged in ensuring the success of their candidate during the selection process and into the post hire phase. After all, if the candidate fails, it is a poor reflection on the choice of the manager. This silent evaluation process is not legal and it certainly is not fair, but it is a reality. The HR professionals often fight an uphill battle to diminish the application of “fit” factor in the selection process due to potential legal exposures. They often lose the battle.
ReplyDeleteTodd,
ReplyDeleteThanks for raising this subject.
While I agree with you that the Fit makes half of the weight in acing an interview, I beg to differ on the other 2 components.
For one, Passion, in my opinion, is somewhat overlapping with the Fit. As for Ability, it is high on anyone's wish list partly due to lack of time and other resources for training, the ever growing need for multi-tasking,the rapid changes in technology, operations, market trends and so on. Ability is highly related to technial skills as well as problem solving, critical thinking, flexibility and adaptability, to name a few. This is also the reason why interviews have become more demanding. Behavioral interviews are the norm but employers are also conducting "case studies" interviews, all to ensure that, along with a great fit and passion, the candidate will be able to perform the job successfuly, hitting the ground running.
Michal Orenstein-Orpaz
Career Counselor, Consultant and Coach
Best Fit Carees
www.bestfitcareers.com
@Anonymous(10/18) Thanks so much for the HR perspective. I hadn't thought of it in terms of "championing." Thanks for bringing up it's legality! Next time I'll make sure I have a frank discussion with my HR rep on the candidates. As for fair, I'm not as convinced. The manager wants to hire someone who's going to be successful: if we were to find someone who is 100% capable (as in "ability"), but is dispassionate, and doesn't work well ("fit") within the team and environment how can they be successful?
ReplyDelete@Michal I see your points. Passion and Fit are somewhat related (the example that comes to mind is if a very passionate candidate is trying to fit into a somewhat dispassionate team they may not react well), but they are distinct enough to be different.
Yes, the 10% does still strike me as low. Coming from a technical field, I've seen plenty of people who know their chops but don't have the "soft" skills you mentioned and either are unable to exercise those hard skills within the framework in existence, or find themselves not adapting to new requirements, skills, etc. I'd take even a technical candidate with stronger soft skills over one balanced the other way. The later candidate would be a better contractor.
I really appreciate this discussion because the candidate is at such a disadvantage in knowing what the employer is truly seeking. Depending, the first interview is still a continued measure of ability when employers are receiving 100+ resumes for the position. It also depends on whether the hiring manager is involved in the initial stages of the process. A recruiter or HR professional will have a different frame around a candidate’s “fit” and “abilities” versus the hiring manager. Once the candidate moves to the second interview, it’s about both “fit” and “deliverables.” When being asked behavioral interview questions the employer wants to know how the candidate “thinks” in terms of tackling issues, driving solutions, etc. I believe passion is relative to the culture of the organization. If you’re interviewing with Google passion is perceived one way, however, if you’re interviewing in academia passion may be perceived another way and may not be as “weighty.” Either way, a solid strategy is to take a breadth before each question and respond via a story that covers both fit and deliverables.
ReplyDeleteIn this discussion, it would be helpful to explore the Search Committee interview. How have others managed the process when confronted by a team of individuals under time constraints when they’re trying to make connections? I agree with Anonymous 10/18’s response regarding the manager unconsciously becoming a champion for the candidate to validate his/her bias. However, what about managing the other biases and dynamics in the room?
@Anonymous(10/19) Thanks for your comments. I went looking online for a fitting definition of "passion" but none seem to fit. In context, I would say it means something like a compelling interest in, and a powerful drive to succeed. With such a definition, it's not so much a matter of fit - and what manager wouldn't want someone with those quality? True, one's passion coupled with their personality might be more fitting for GE vs Google. Also, a good point about the candidate not really "knowing what the employer is truly seeking." Judging from some of the position requirements I've seen, some want 3 people rolled into 1, or some of those requirements are just tossed in there like the proverbial kitchen sink.
ReplyDeleteGood questions on the Search Committee - perhaps another reader will have some feedback?
A hiring manager to a candidate: "I can teach you the technical stuff (ability) but I can't teach you personality (fit)." Paraphrased from someone on LinkedIn, with permission.
ReplyDeleteWhich makes me consider the opposite of the hiring process, the termination process. Having made the wrong choice of candidates, using the above factors makes it easier to remove someone from the organization. It seems far easier to fire someone for "ability" failure vs either "fit" or "passion".
I understand that many of us work in "at will" (or similar) States so firing comes down to avoiding lawsuits over illegal terminations. I'm certainly no legal expert in this area. Providing evidence that an employee is lacking necessary ability (ex: can't program .Net quickly and without errors) is relatively easy and documentable. Showing a failure to "fit" is more than a bit more subjective. More difficult is "passion" - how does one, to paraphrase a popular quote, show "He's just not that into [the job]."
I was quoted and this post referenced on eFinancialCareers: What An Interviewer Really Wants to Learn, http://news.efinancialcareers.com/newsandviews_item/newsItemId-21937
ReplyDeleteI love to see this topic raised for discussion. As a career coach, I stand in front of audiences and mime the bored and the engaged candidate and they get it, and if they don't then the guy next to them does and then they laugh too.
ReplyDeleteIt seems hard enough to get a job without adding 'another' qualification - that you have to like it. The fact is, as you point out, that it does matter and what's more, if bonuses are down, why not enjoy your job? That could make up for a fair amount of compensation.
@Win thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteFrom the candidate's side you're right, why not enjoy your job? It's going to be hell if you hate it.
From the hiring manager's side, you're going to want someone who is passionate about the job.