Why? Because at least half the time, new hires aren’t a good cultural fit for your company. The traditional hiring process is terrible at making good personality matches.
It’s time to get creative. Here are 5 creative strategies the world’s top companies are using to shake up the hiring process.
Consider the popularity of dating apps. Fully 15% of U.S. adults have used them to meet someone special, and 60% consider them an effective way to match people.
Dating apps put personality at the forefront - and personality is something traditional interviews actually work very hard to stifle. Think about it: When’s the last time you felt like yourself during a job interview? Chances are, you tried to act much calmer and more conservative than you are in real life.
This fake act is harmful to both employers and employees. It sets the stage for bad matches, and it’s why U.S. employment turnover is so high.
Cutting-edge personality assessment companies are learning the best practices of dating apps and reshaping the hiring process across the world. They encourage casual, low-pressure matching so employees and employers can see if they would really click.
Some hiring managers are ditching the traditional process in favor of casual meet-and-greets at local pubs and restaurants. The staffing company Creative Niche sets up wine and cheese parties where top candidates can mingle and let their personalities shine. After the party, company staffers give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to each candidate.
This strategy works because it creates a situation where a candidate can let their guard down and show their day-to-day style, rather than their stuffy interview persona. And, in turn, it allows your existing staff to offer a peek into the company culture and let people decide if it’s a place they want to work.
Online powerhouse Zappos.com uses an observation technique to weed out undesirable candidates. Company founder Tony Hsieh, who instills company-wide values of humility and family spirit, devised a simple, low-cost way to test whether people will be a good cultural fit.
Each Zappos job candidate is offered a ride to the company’s headquarters. They don’t realize that the driver is actually an observer on behalf of the company. If, during the ride, the person is rude or standoffish to the driver, they are automatically disqualified from employment.
Could your company use a similar creative technique? It could be as simple as asking one of your company’s stereotypically lower-level employees, like an intern or sanitation worker, to become an official observer.
Some employers are starting to gamify the employment process - that is, they’re adding interactive games that highlight candidates’ skills and personalities. Menlo Innovations is famous for this creative strategy.
At Menlo, candidates join a mass auditioning process where everyone gathers in a huge room. They’re quickly paired off and instructed to play a game where their goal is to get the other person hired. You read that right— to get hired, they must sell the advantages of hiring someone else!
This interactive game throws candidates off their typical interviewing script. They must think on their feet and show instant flexibility and problem solving. As a result, Menlo’s new hires are totally prepared for everyday creative challenges.
Is it essential for your employees to keep their composure? Test their patience by introducing a frustrating situation. This isn’t a joke: Companies that place a high value on unflappable customer service do this to weed out easily-ruffled candidates.
Commonly called a stress interview, the technique typically goes something like this. During the interview, the interviewer asks an offbeat question like, “Why were you fired from your last job?” even though the person was never fired from a previous employer. As the person responds, the interviewer gauges their level of composure and good humor.
One downside of this technique is that candidates may feel tricked or put off by the situation. As an alternative, some employers are turning to stress tests that use personality assessments in place of actual stressful situations.
With the help of an assessment company like GoGig, employers can peek into candidates’ personalities through the lens of social media content. So, for example, if someone often uses the words “I” or “Me” a lot, GoGig can tell you that this person might be focused on them self.
Ready to find creative ways to make good hiring fits? Reach out to GoGig, which dramatically improves personality matches and retention.