Hiring the Right People — the key to Organizational Success

The Keffer-Tate Method

by Dr. R. Grant Tate

Introduction — Why it’s so critical to hire the right people

Hiring the right people is one of the most important functions of leadership. This one factor can determine if an organization thrives or is stuck in mediocracy. Venture capitalists and other investors know this — invest in the people, not the technology.

The wrong hire can cost a company over $100,000, according to some estimates. But it’s not just the money. Bad hires disrupt the team, drag down morale, discourage other staff members, and undermine loyalty to the organization. And we know the difficulty of separating people from the company — the difficult conversations, the warnings, the performance improvement plans, the loss of important management time.

Most organizations spend a lot of time laying out the specifications for a particular job, usually in the form of a long job description. That description describes the responsibilities, the kind of skills needed, and sometimes the results expected. Often, the technical skills are the most important factor. We’re looking for an electrical engineer, a graphic designer, etc. But, on the job, most people fail in the so-called soft skills, not the technical or specialty skills — but in the ability to get along with people, collaboration, team work, communicating, attitude, growth mindset.

Given the importance of hiring the right people and the cost of making a mistake, fine tuning the hiring process is a good investment. The Keffer-Tate method can help. We integrate our Advanced Insights personal assessment bank into an effective hiring process that significantly raises the probably of hiring success and decreases the risk of a bad hire.

Understanding the Job Requirements

Understanding the job to be filled, in detail, is the first requirement for effective hiring. People who understand the job in detail are the best source of this knowledge. Who understands the job better than a person who is holding or has done the job? Working with such a person, his or her supervisors and others who understand the job can lead to an effective job scorecard, the foundation of a job search. That scorecard describes, on one page, why the job exists, the outcomes expected, how to measure the outcomes, the competencies required and how those competencies will be demonstrated on the job.

Then we take the process a step beyond. We go through each element of our assessment profile, asking what scores are necessary requirements of the job. These, for instance, include decisiveness, interaction, stability, attention to detail, values, empathy, practical thinking and others.

Preparing the Benchmark and Profile

After the group determines all the elements, we integrate the target figures into the assessment evaluation process so when a job candidate takes the assessment, we can compare the candidate’s results with the requirements for the job and prepare an assessment benchmark for the job. We also prepare a customized assessment profile for the Attribute Index, one of the three important elements of our Advanced Insights assessment bank. The benchmark and the customized profile help us determine how well a candidate suits the job and also helps determine the questions one should ask the candidate during the interview process. In addition, we ask the group to list five questions each job candidate should answer when applying for the job. These questions help determine if a candidate should be in the possible candidates. For instance, “Are you willing to relocate to Chicago?”

A candidate applies by submitting a resume’, answering a few important questions, and taking our Advanced Insights assessments. Our system compares their assessment results with the prepared job benchmark and then ranks all candidates according to how their assessment results compare with the benchmark.

Once the job scorecard, the assessment benchmark, and the customized profile are prepared, the job is ready for posting on job search websites or other media. You can follow your own procedures or we can post it for you. The typical job posting includes request for a resume’, a few questions to be answered, and a link to the assessments. In our case, we provide one link for a candidate to submit all the requirements.

Evaluating the Candidates

Once the job posting is closed, we rank the candidates according to how well they meet the overall criteria for the job and help the hiring manager select the top two or three candidates for interviews. We then ask those candidates to submit at least three references, including their contact information. Our assessment results help us determine the most important questions to ask the references and the candidate when that person is interviewed. Our assessment, for instance, includes a section ranking the candidate’s values with respect to ethics, an important topic to consider.

We often use assessment results at the beginning of a coaching program or as a guide for self-development for employees. Using assessments as part of the hiring process gives companies a jump-start on this process. For instance, the onboarding process should include working with the new employee to layout a long-range self-development plan. This approach increases employee loyalty and commitment. A good onboarding process can reduce turnover and provide a big boost to organization efficiency. Onboarding process design is not part of our T-K hiring package, but can be an add-on when companies need it.

The Assessments

Our assessment package, developed by Innermetrix, Inc (www.innermetrix.com) includes three important components. All have been validated as non-biased and acceptable for use in hiring. Hand-in-hand with Innermetrix, we’ve used these assessments with organizations and employees all over the world.

The ADVanced Insights Profile holistically combines the best of three world-class profiles.

• The Attribute Index measures how you think and make decisions.
• The Values Index measures your motivational style and drivers.
• The DISC Index measures your preferred behavioral style.

Together they answer the questions WHAT, WHY and HOW:

• What natural talents do you have?
• Why are you motivated to use them?
• How do you prefer to use them?

This level of self-awareness and discovery are the core to achieving peak performance in any role or endeavor, to ensure that you properly align what you do best with how you do it and why you are driven to do so.

The DISC Index is the most contemporary interpretation of Dr. William Marston’s groundbreaking work into understanding and measuring a person’s natural behavioral style.

Understanding individual behavioral preferences and habits is crucial when working with team members, as a leader or manager of others, or in an environment that requires conflict resolution. The DISC Index can be used in a wide variety of situations, such as selection and hiring, succession planning and team development.

The DISC Index profile is unique in that it:

• has the highest validity and reliability scores on the market today.
• is the only behavioral instrument to produce zero waste by ranking all words, not just half.
• uses a one-of-a-kind click and drag interface for significantly greater accuracy and ease-of-use.
• contains the most current instrument items for increased accuracy and reliability.

The Values Index combines the work of Drs. Spranger and Allport to create the most powerful motivations profile on the market today. Such information is vital when it comes to motivating employees, making hiring and selection decisions, understanding performance issues or anywhere that requires understanding what drives, motivates and inspires an individual.

Understanding WHY someone does what they do is the key to understanding how to get them well aligned with work and in an environment that will lead to the most passion.

The Values Index profile is unique in that it:

• has the highest validity and reliability scores on the market today.
• is the only values instrument to examine seven separate dimensions of motivation.
• is the first and only click and drag instrument interface on the market today.
• contains the most current instrument items for increased accuracy and reliability

The Attribute Index is a revolutionary way to measure organizational skills and competencies to increase individual and team efficiency and effectiveness.

Built specifically for the business environment, and to be easy to use by any manager, the Attribute Index assesses an individual’s cognitive style (i.e., how they think). The profile is based on the groundbreaking work of Dr. Robert S. Hartman (Yale/MIT) and is a uniquely powerful way of actually quantifying an individual’s ability in over 80 business related areas. Over 30 validation studies make the Attribute Index one of the most powerful and reliable profiles on the market today. Used by more than 300,000 people in over 18 countries, the Attribute Index can help in finding, developing and keeping the very best talent.

Summary

Given that hiring the right people is one of the most important functions of leadership, a rigorous hiring process, the Keffer-Tate Method helps leaders select and develop the kind of people needed to achieve organizational excellence.

The Keffer-Tate Method facilitates a deep, thorough evaluation of the job requirements, applies scientifically-based assessments to quantify and evaluate the candidate’s qualifications, and makes recommendations based on solid analytics.

How to Get Started

The Keffer-Tate Method is developed and administered by Terry Keffer, of Keffer Business Services and R. Grant Tate of Bridge Business Transformations.

Call or email them for more information or to get started.

Terry Keffer, terry@consultkeffer.com, (540) 815–3139

Grant Tate, grant@mybridgeonline.com, (434) 466–4655