Interview with Human Capital Magazine

Human Capital magazine described Don't Hire the Best as the "Bible of Hiring". The December 2012 issue of the magazine carries the clips of a conversation I had with Sannita Chakraborty Saha. HC. Apart from being an HR professional of great caliber, you are also a writer? What drove you to writing?AB. Writing is an opportunity to share ideas and also learn from feedback that one gets from the readers. I have always enjoyed writing. Since my early days at school, I have been into writing.  In 2005, when my first novel Mediocre but Arrogant was published, I also launched my website abhijitbhaduri.com. I became my own publisher! This helped me explore varied themes and write on topics that I passionately believed in.HC. What lessons does your book ‘Don't Hire the Best’ offer recruiters across the globe?AB. India runs the world's largest hiring event – General Assembly Elections. Millions of recruiters hire candidates who may one day run the country. Hiring, at the heart of it, is a way of making a decision about people. Whether it is about choosing a tutor or domestic help, we all make decisions. Most hiring tends to focus on what is written on the résumé, for e.g., work experience and educational qualifications. When we find someone who has studied in a top educational institute or worked in a top firm, recruiters, in general, tend to assume that the individual is right for and every role. However, when an employee begins his stint at work, all that matters is the personality of the individual. There are plenty of qualified people around who don't succeed in their careers because their personality comes in the way. Ability to take risks, manage one’s emotions, handle stress, is not easy to teach in a short span of time. Similarly, the fit with the culture of the organization and the individual determines how happy and engaged the person will be. Assessing the personality of the individual is a key step of hiring that is missed out or handled by people using thumb rules. In my book, I have suggested a method on how to assess personalities.Finding the right fit is very important when it comes to hiring. Yet, hardly any organization assesses candidates on their values fit. This can be a recipe for disaster. The book can be used by people to decide on how to make career choices. They can discover what kind of a career will make them happy. They can also make more informed choices about choosing an employer with whom they will enjoy working.HC. You have vast experience of leading HR teams in many top notch organizations. What is that common thread that you have carried with you through your journey?AB. I have been lucky to work for organizations that are known for their ability to groom leaders. I have had the privilege of seeing many of these iconic leaders at close quarters. An organization that grooms and builds leaders is the one that is always going to be an aspirational employer. This kind of an organization can truly offer careers. Other employers will always offer jobs and buy out talent - until someone else pays more.  People want to build careers when they enjoy doing what they have to do and are happy with the employer. I have learned that being happy at work is a precondition to being successful. You cannot be good at doing something you do not enjoy.HC. You are of the opinion that there's no organizational process more important than recruitment. How do you justify this statement?AB. Recruitment impacts an organization’s success greatly. The leaders that it recruits impact the culture of the firm, and their ability to attract and retain talent. Business models can be copied. The talent combination of each firm is as unique as one’s fingerprint or the DNA. The gaps that are overlooked at the time of hiring cannot always be addressed later through training. Some behaviors are difficult to train. They may take years to build. Most people who hire only know how to assess technical skills. Soft skills account for more than 60 per cent of an individual’s success. Yet, very few people know how to assess these soft skills.HC. You have said, “Traditional resume and interview-based hiring often does not account for the most important factor: personality”.  Please elucidate.AB. Many recruiters depend on interviews only to make their hiring decisions. Unfortunately, very few are trained to assess personalities. We need people who are trained in this aspect. Many firms use psychometrics for this, however, they miss the right instrument. Hence, they do not find what they are looking for. In my research, I have met many people who have devised simple ways to assess the most important aspects which affects success or failure. The ability to manage emotions, resilience, dealing with difficult interactions with colleagues or customers, determination and grit all put together in a personality make the right fit. Therefore, skilled interviewers know that the trick lies in not just asking questions that challenge the candidate, but in figuring out whether his or her answer reveals a fit between the company's expectations and the personality of the interviewee.HC. What is the secret of good hiring?AB. There are four elements to the job. The first is to identify the kind of education, previous work experience competencies and personality of the individual is apt to succeed in the new role. Second is to create ways to assess the person’s fit to the role. It is important to assess the skills of the individual as well as his willingness to execute his assigned tasks. Third is to assess the fit of the individual with the culture of the organization. Fourth is to run a detailed reference check with his previous managers or colleagues to validate their opinion on the person. References must be taken from at least three to four individuals who have managed him and whom he has managed. Finally, ensure he has a smooth on-boarding to help him succeed in his role.----------------------Kind courtesy of Human Capital magazineRead the interview online here