By Mike Cass
President, BC HRMA

There is a definite price tag attached to finding and keeping quality people in the workplace. As per PeopleTalk’s cover story, “Hire Standards: Better Fit”, our focus is fixed on recruitment, one of the base tenets of any strategic human resources plan.

In thinking about this very important element, one could play on words a bit and say “Higher Standards: Better Fit”, but I wonder if ‘smarter’ is more appropriate. I have discussed recruitment processes with many HR professionals and a lot of small business owners over time and it amazes me that there are still so many businesses out there that do not have a robust standard for base recruitment—to say nothing of factoring ‘fit’ into the equation.

How do you go about ensuring the fit for your organization? The use of psychological testing has had its proponents and opponents over the business cycles, but how does one really measure personality traits? More elementary to the successful fit of any recruit is considering those traits which best define the core character of your business. Especially for critical hires, such as senior leadership and team vacancies, fit is a key component.

Ultimately, finding the right fit is more of an art than a science. There are those who will roll their eyes at this statement and I recognize the challenges to the statement. True, there are demographics to consider, economics to factor and technologies to be advantaged. Nonetheless, there is an art to targeting and ensuring the ongoing success of the right hire. As explored within, that art is most definitely tied to organizational culture. What defines your culture?

Finding out your present state in your demographic base is fundamental; then the challenge is to determine your desired future state. What lies between that future and organizational success are smart hires.

As we all know, while people are an organization’s greatest asset; the opposite holds equally true. Every hire carries costs and consequences; each potential hire represents one of the most critical decisions you will make—for better or worse. While some roles are more directly related to business success, all impact your business.

What’s your story and how does it impact your recruitment efforts? It’s a question worth keeping in mind as you enjoy the articles in the winter issue of PeopleTalk.