The Importance of Selecting the Most "Fit" for the Job

 

In the Project Management 2.0 GIG, the question was asked, "Why is it SO hard to hire the right people?" It is a good question and there has been some good discussion. Most of those who have commented have agreed that preparation for recruiting and selection is important.

Selection is hard because there are so many factors to consider and they all take different techniques to tease out the best candidate. After you determine that the candidate has the right mix of skills and just the right amount of experience, there is another key factor.  Job Fitness is the term usually associated with determining whether the individual will thrive in the organizational culture (values, mission, etc.) and work environment (degree of centralization, maturity of processes, number of co-located workers, etc.).

If you do not specifically select a candidate that fits in your organization, you will be surprised by inappropriate behaviors such as outbursts of frustration, low productivity, inappropriate creativity, irresolvable dissatisfaction and more. It will be difficult to pinpoint just why the behavior is occurring, adding frustration to the manager's job.  ("Why did that worker turn out to be such a whack job?")

Errors in selection for fitness can bring a "lone wolf" into an organization that is run using strong cross-functional teams. ("Boss, there are so many hurdles, I can't get anything done in this place!")

Errors in selection for fitness can bring a worker desiring clear, steady project execution into a chaotic organization where ambiguity reigns. ("Boss, stakeholders are rarely available when I need them - I can't get anything done in this place!")

So you defintely want to prepare to check for job fitness. Next post will detail techniques to use in interviews.