Author-Jeanne

The Impact of AI on Who and How We Hire!

by Sara Bennett | September 28, 2023

0 ACA/AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE - Policies and Processes, Author-Jeanne, FEATURED BLOGS, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, LOCAL NEWS, EMPLOYMENT AND STAFFING TRENDS Employer Buzz, get connected, main whats happening

The role of AI in the hiring process has been an unexpected story in 2023.  Everyone is asking “how will this “technology” impact me?”. Recruiters, Hiring Managers and job Candidates are no exception.  … Read More »

The Employee Experience Starts With Your Hiring Process!

by Sara Bennett | September 21, 2023

0 Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, RECRUITING/CANDIDATE SOURCING Employer Buzz, JS Bright Ideas, main whats happening

Anyone surprised that this thing called the “employee experience” actually starts well before a job candidate becomes an employee?  Here's how kick start the employee experience while hiring.... … Read More »

Try Before You Buy: A Smart Way to Hire!

by Sara Bennett | September 7, 2023

0 Author-Jeanne, Hiring.Best Practices, Lead Gen Content - Candidate Selection, Temp-to-Hire Staffing get connected

New to the temp to hire audition as a hiring model? Here's a step by step way to introduce this model to your team. … Read More »

Fit Finding Made Easy – Candidate Screening

by Sara Bennett | May 26, 2023

0 Author-Jeanne, Lead Gen Content - "Fit" get connected

What You Need to Know About a Candidate to Decide If They are the Right Fit!

The goal of FIT FINDING is to find and hire an employee who not only does the job well, but enjoys doing it.  FIT FINDING is a way to enhance the productivity of your team, retain team members and improve morale all by more carefully selecting who you hire based on their "fit" for the job and your work environment. The process of FIT FINDING is all about matching up those elements of a job that impact an employee’s performance and their retention with the intrinsic qualities of a candidate that makes them able and willing to do the job well. This blog is about the candidate side of fit finding – what you need to know about a candidate to determine if they are the “right fit” for the job you are hiring for.  It assumes you’ve already taken the time to understand the job, its content, and all those things about the work environment that make a difference to the employee’s performance.

Here's FIVE factors you need to explore when screening and evaluating candidates for "fit"...

#1  The Candidate’s CAN DOS - the SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE they bring to the table.  

  • Do they have the specific skills and knowledge to do the work?
  • Does their work history show that they have done the same or similar work? In what ways will what they have already done transfer to what they will be doing?
  • What on the job training are they going to need? How will you provide it?
  • Do they have enough experience doing the same or similar work to know when they need to ask questions? Or reach out for help?  IOW, are they smart enough to know what they don’t know?
How will you know?
There’s nothing like a comprehensive skills assessment program to see for yourself if the employee has the skills and knowledge they claim to have.  If you haven’t invested in skills testing software, reach out to PACE.  We have a comprehensive library of skills assessment exercises that we can make available at an affordable cost.

#2  The Candidate’s WANNA DOS – those  intrinsic talents and motivators that will make them successful "at this job"

  • Will the kind of work the employee will be doing each day something they will enjoy and be good at? IOW, is the work content the “right fit” for the candidate’s intrinsic strengths?  OR are there several components of the job that will require the employee to change their “stripes”?
  • Is the job going to be challenging enough to keep the employee engaged? For how long?   
How will you know?
This is where your behavioral interview comes into play, focusing your questions on….
  • Things the candidate liked or didn’t like about previous jobs, what they have been good at or not so good at in previous jobs?  Why?
  • Their personal hobbies or activities they do outside of work, and WHY they enjoy them?
(HINT:  people tend to enjoy doing things that are easy for them to do to the point where they want to do them well.  If they’ve struggled with a certain type of work in the past, chances are it turned into work they didn’t like doing.)
                   

#3 The Candidate’s Extrinsic MOTIVATORS (or DeMotivators) - things that will turn them on or off about where they work.        

  • What are the factors likely to motivate the candidate to do the job at high levels and enjoy doing it?
  • Is your recruiting story about why a candidate would like this job relevant to what the candidate needs to achieve thru their work - or do they tend to be motivated by things you or your job doesn’t have to offer?
  • Is the candidate likely to be motivated by the actual work content? The pay and benefit plan?  An opportunity to be promoted?  Learn more?
  • What is their level of interest in what the company does? Is anything about what you do that would be a turnoff to the candidate once hired?
How will you know?
Your interview needs to include an analysis of the candidate’s work history from a motivational perspective.  Ask questions about each job in a candidate’s work history –
  • Why did they take each job? Why did they leave?
  • Why have they liked or disliked about each job ?
  • How long have they stayed at each job – that they liked? Didn’t like?
  • Is there a pattern of personal or job satisfaction issues that just seem to crop up and prompt a job change?
  • What is the candidate’s perception of the current job – how, from their point of view, it compares with jobs they have had in the past?
NOTE: Focus on the historical facts rather than asking what the employee wants to get out of their job now.  Hiring for fit is based on the facts.
 

#4  The LOGISTICS -  More Can and Wanna Dos

  • Are the physical logistics of the job (things you can’t easily change about the work or the work environment) doable/acceptable by the candidate?
  • Do they have the transportation to get to and from work as needed?
  • Are they able to get to work during regular work hours?
  • Are you able to allow them to work from home periodically if that is what they are requesting?
  • Is the actual work setting (ex. that lone desk in the back office) going to become an issue?
How will you know?
Questions about the candidate’s logistics are typically part of candidate screening so that interviewers don’t waste time interviewing candidates that are not the right fit in terms of the basic logistics – where the job is performed?  Workplace rules and boundaries? .
Most logistics relevant questions have simple yes no answers  (ex.  are you able to work in our Renton office 3 days a week?) but don’t be afraid to ask for reasons behind the yes’s nos or probe more deeply.  (ex.  You indicated that you didn’t like working from home in your last job?  How will you deal with the 2 days you will work from home in this job?)
A tour of your physical facility and an opportunity to observe teammates in action, is always the “best way” to uncover pre- hire issues with a work environment.

#5 The Candidate’s Typical or Preferred WORK STYLE ..…. 

…is all about uncovering a candidate’s preferred way and the work style of the environment where they will find themselves post hire.
  • Do they prefer work environments that require a lot of meetings and 1/1 collaborations, or do they prefer working alone, without a lot of interaction with others?
  • Do they prefer to work for a hands on supervisor, or someone who guides from a distance – not always there to answer questions?
  • Are they good dealing with work or environmental changes or do they prefer work that is more stable, less likely to change?
  • Do they enjoy interacting with teammates socially or do they tend to leave work and relationships behind when off the clock?
  • More?
How will you know?
Again, you have to ask for concrete examples, using behavioral terms to probe into the  employee’s past work history as your benchmark.
Example 1.  You mentioned that you left your job at ABC because the work environment wasn’t a good match for you.  Can you be more specific about what about that work environment didn’t measure up?  How did you handle the things that were issues for you when they first came up?  How did that work for you?  What would you differently if that issue came up again?.     
Example 2.  You indicated that you liked working at ABC because they didn’t micromanagement your work.  Can you give me an example where you believe you have been micromanaged while at work?   How did you address that issue?    
Including an opportunity for the candidate to observe the work and work environment and/or  speak with future teammates is a common step in a multi step hiring process.  It is a step that not only minimizes hiring errors, but starts the process to orient a new team member to the team.

PACE Staffing Network is one of the Puget Sound’s premier staffing /recruiting agencies and has been helping Northwest employers find and hire employees based on the “right fit” for over 45 years. A 5-time winner of the coveted “Best in Staffing” designation, PACE is ranked in the top 2% of staffing agencies nationwide based on annual surveys of customer satisfaction. PACE services include temporary and contract staffing, temp to hire auditionsdirect hire professional recruiting servicesEmployer of Record (payroll) services, and a large menu of hiring help and candidate assessment services our clients can purchase a la carte.

If you’re a hiring manager who is looking to improve their hiring results, contact us at 425-637-3312.  You can also fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!

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Its May30th – Love Your Recruiter Day!

by Sara Bennett | May 26, 2023

0 Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, Lead Gen Content - "Fit" get connected, main whats happening, Whats Happening

Don’t ask who decided but we’re being told that Tuesday May 30th has been designated National Recruiter Day.  What a great way to shine a light on these important contributors to business success, folks who so often don’t get the applause they deserve.  And yes, talent shortages have put them on the hot seat for quite a while now, so its about time we said “we see you!” and value “what you do! “ … Read More »

Build Your Pipeline and the Candidates will Come!

by Sara Bennett | March 8, 2023

0 Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, Hiring.Best Practices

Build Your Candidate Pipelines and Enjoy Faster, Better and Easier Hiring… … Read More »

What Makes PACE Such a Great Partner!

by Sara Bennett | February 20, 2023

0 About Staffing Agencies, Agency Pricing Practices, Author-Jeanne, Best Practices /Flexible Staffing, FEATURED BLOGS, Lead Gen Automation Campaign - Q1 2023.24, Lead Gen Content - Selecting/Managing A Staffing Partner, PACE News!, STAFFING AGENCIES - SELECTION & MANAGEMENT get connected

We don’t like to brag, but one of the things we think is really special about PACE Staffing Network, is our track record of success when it comes to retaining clients.  In an industry where client relationships are historically fickle with client turnover across the board exceeding 50% a year, the fact that so many PACE clients have been with us 20 years or longer is something we think is worth talking about.

How do we do it?

I think it starts with how we view ourselves – as partners not vendors – avoiding all those mistakes we see our competitors making that can’t help but believe causes their clients to look elsewhere for more or better.

Here are 6 things we do (that most of our competitors don't) that we know makes us a great partner....

  1. We work in teams which creates the consistency in service and outcomes our clients can rely on!  At PACE how you experience our services is not dependent on you being assigned to work with one of our staffing superstars!   When someone on one of our client teams is absent or, god forbid, gets hit by a truck, there is always another member of the team who can slip into their spot, assuring our clients that their service from PACE doesn't miss a beat.   PACE clients never get one of those “Hi – Im your new Account Manager and would like to get to know you” e mails – first of all because we have very low levels of internal staff turnover, but more importantly our clients already know their team, people already familiar with who they are and what they do.  Our team approach purposefully creates a better and more consistent service for PACE clients!
 
  1. Our mindset is not on selling our clients anything, but helping them solve their staffing problems.  And there is a big difference.  Our interactions with clients are all about uncovering what's unique about them - their pain points, finding the solution that fits them, not us.   If that solution happens to be one of the services we offer, we’re all in.  But even if it isn't, we don't stop until we know there's a solution in place.  That's why we built the network in PACE Staffing Network, which refers to the partnerships we’ve formed with other staffing agencies and companies, who, in aggregate can offer our client’s specialized solutions in all facets of their business that PACE doesn’t personally provide.   We’re serious about providing solutions even if those solutions aren't something we can personally deliver! 
 
  1. We’re really good with feedback.  While a lot of vendors ask for feedback, very few actually make changes based on that feedback.    It’s a big deal for us to get a suggestion from a client and turn that suggestion into a change in process that works better not just for the client who made the suggestion, but other clients as well.  Many of our best partnerships started with a problem that our vendor level competitors wouldn’t or couldn’t solve because they couldn't move out of their "cookie cutter" mindset.  It was not by mistake that we made it one of our key differentiators to be “world class” at customization.
 
  1. We are always transparent – particularly when it comes to pricing. Our pricing models are rationalized based on one thing – the costs we incur to deliver something our client’s value compared to the costs of alternative solutions.  And for us transparency is all about at least once a year laying out all the costs we incur to deliver our services and asking our client’s if we are delivering the value we promised or they expected.   One of our most popular blogs was created to help potential clients understand all the elements that get factored into a temporary staffing bill rate.  We followed that up with a blog to help employers negotiate more effectively with their  staffing vendor.
 
  1. We do our homework. When we help a client find that “just right” employee for either a temporary, direct hire, or temp to hire staffing model, our conversations with clients are anything but one and done.  We go in depth into any facet of your work environment or needs that we know from experience that will impact the success of the person you hire!  While many vendors in the staffing industry sound like “do you want fries with that burger”, when you ask us to find your an employee our order taking process is more like a discovery, a peeling back of the onion so to speak, to reveal what matters really.  Yes, it takes longer, but that’s an investment in a partnership we know has big payoffs both short and long term.
 
  1. We keep a diary. Yep, we’re like the FBI when it comes to taking careful notes and turning those notes into something actionable…either now or in the future. Every conversation we have with a customer or candidate gets captured; every nuance about how a recruiting project is being organized gets documented.   When we say “we keep an up to date profile” of each client, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
  The difference between a vendor and a partner couldn’t be more obvious than how you experience the different ways staffing or recruiting vendors work with their clients.   PACE clients have come to “experience the difference” in the way we do partnerships so different from what others do.  Experience the difference has been our motto from the first day of our founding and has served us well.      For more information about what PACE does, how we set ourselves apart from our competitors, and our focus on the unique needs of small to medium sized Northwest business, we’d love to have a personal chat. You can reach us by using the contact form below, emailing us at partnerservices@pacestaffing.com  or calling us at 425-637-3312.[gravityform id="56" title="false" description="false" ajax="false"]

Wondering if you have a QUIET QUITTER on your team?*

by Sara Bennett | October 27, 2022

0 Author-Jeanne, FEATURED BLOGS, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, Lead Gen Automation Campaign - Q4 2022.23 Disengaged Employees, get connected, Hiring/Firing, Is it Time to Fire a Quiet Quitter?, main whats happening, quiet firing, quiet quitting

Do you find yourself wondering if you have some "quiet quitters" on your team?   Has the team's morale suddenly taken a turn for the worse?  Are you no longer confident that the team has the same enthusiasm for its mission that it once had? … Read More »

Firing – A Tough Decision? An Easy Process?*

by Jeanne Knutzen | September 28, 2022

0 Author-Jeanne, Lead Gen Automation Campaign - Q4 2022.23, MANAGEMENT. SUPERVISION, Management.Supervision get connected

Hiring and firing are not just the opposite ends of the staffing spectrum, but together represent the two most important staffing decisions managers make when building their teams. … Read More »

Hiring and Firing – Same Process, Different Outcomes!

by Sara Bennett | September 29, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, Hiring.Best Practices get connected

Hiring and firing are not just the opposite ends of the staffing spectrum, but together represent the two most important staffing decisions managers make when building their teams. … Read More »

Is Your Recruiter a Vendor or a Partner? Why it Matters!

by Sara Bennett | June 8, 2021

0 About Staffing Agencies, Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, Lead Gen Automation Campaign - Q1 2023.24, STAFFING AGENCIES - SELECTION & MANAGEMENT, What Makes PACE Different get connected

Just like personal relationships, business relationships, including relationships with staffing providers, come in all different sizes, shapes, and packaging.  … Read More »

What’s Your Recruiting Story?

by Sara Bennett | April 23, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION get connected

The right recruiting story makes a difference to who you hire. Here's some ideas on how to create the right recruiting story and get it told - often and well! … Read More »

How to Identify Candidates Who Can Collaborate!

by Jeanne Knutzen | April 15, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne, Behaviorally Based Employee Selection Models, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, Hiring.Best Practices get connected

Some powerful interview questions to gain insights into a candidate's ability to collaborate. . … Read More »

Interviewer Bias Can Derail Your Commitments to Diversity and Inclusion

by Sara Bennett | March 20, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne, FEATURED BLOGS, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, RECRUITING/CANDIDATE SOURCING get connected, main whats happening

Some important “must dos” for Northwest employers renewing their commitments to diversity and inclusion! … Read More »

What To Do When that “Just Right” Candidate Isn’t Available?

by Sara Bennett | February 8, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne, HIRING. EMPLOYEE SELECTION, RECRUITING/CANDIDATE SOURCING, Temp-to-Hire Staffing get connected

Shortages in the talent marketplace often leave employers wondering what to do. Here's some options to think about .,.... … Read More »

2021 – 3 Recruiting Challenges That Won’t Be Going Away Soon!

by Sara Bennett | January 18, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne

Here's 3 Recruiting Challenges for 2021 that Aren't New - but Won’t Be Going Away Soon! … Read More »

2021 – 3 Recruiting Challenges That Won’t Be Going Away Soon!

by Sara Bennett | January 18, 2021

0 Author-Jeanne

Here's 3 Recruiting Challenges for 2021 that Aren't New - but Won’t Be Going Away Soon! … Read More »