I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies.” — Lawrence Bossidy, retired chairman of the board and CEO of Honeywell International Inc.

I’ve had many conversations with HR and hiring managers regarding the positions they want to fill. For some of them, finding the “perfect hire” consists of the candidate meeting a list of “must-haves” including years of experience, specific software requirements and industry contacts. Others emphasize the need for soft skills such as leadership ability, good communication and problem solving. While these are great starting points, 46 percent of hired employees will fail within 18 months, while only 19 percent of hires will become successful in their new roles, according to recent statistics. We need to look deeper for hidden qualities that truly make for lasting and profitable hires.

One of the most impactful hiring experiences of my career ended with my employer wanting to hire me even though I did not possess all the must-haves or soft skills on the employer’s list. He reasoned, “I can teach you all of those things. What I can’t teach are the morals, ethics and values that we hold personally and as a company. You already have those inside of you.”

A values-based approach ensures a good hire the first time, reduces financial loss due to turnover and creates continuity in company culture.

Here are three ways to make lasting hires while using a values-based approach.

Place integrity and character above the ‘must-haves’

In his article, “The Secret to Making Better Hires,” Mike Myatt warns that “absent character and integrity will eventually lead to some type of disconnect or debacle. Put another way, if you can’t trust someone to do the right thing, it doesn’t matter how likable, passionate or talented the person is. You can teach many things, but altering the hardwiring of an adult’s character is best left to a therapist or the clergy — not an employer.” He goes on to say that prioritizing integrity and character has a direct influence on increasing performance, enhancing collaboration, reducing turnover, improving morale and creating a stable culture.

Hire based on your company’s core values

Everything you do as a company is ultimately filtered through your core values or company DNA. In order to protect the integrity of your business, your hiring and screening process needs to be filtered through these values as well. This is one area where many companies compromise their values for the sake of immediate results. Make your company values non-negotiables. Taking this approach will cause you to shift questions during the interview process that uncover the core values of a candidate. People with the same core values as your company should be able to respond to situation-based questions with confidence. In addition, a thorough vetting process that seeks to reveal the candidate’s character will help to discover if core values align.

Don’t be afraid of skills gaps

There are no “perfect” candidates out there. Everyone has areas for growth. Don’t be afraid of a skill gap or two, if the candidate lines up perfectly with values, integrity and character. Invest in that person with mentoring and training. Workplace mentoring programs help employees do the right thing by exposing them to senior employees who know how to do the right thing; this helps the employee to perform more effectively. In the long run, the cost of bridging gaps does not compare to the cost of making a bad hire, which can hurt your bottom line and set your company back anywhere from nine months to a year.

I want to challenge you to implement a values-based hiring approach. You will be able to discover whether a candidate is a good fit faster, and you will make confident hires knowing the actual qualities you want are already there.

For more information, visit BICRecruiting.com or call (281) 538-9996.

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