Don’t Recruit : Select by Constitution

Stakes in Right Selection

A fundamental factor for sustained business success is picking the right people for right roles. There is a lot at stake here as a wrong hire does not only drain organisation’s resources & energy , but has potential to dent its morale & reputation .

Selection – what in common HR parlance is called as Recruitment , is an important business process – the first level quality control for an entry into an organisation; though in many cases we see it being degenerated into a numerical process of aggregating bodies.

?Transformation in Thinking – Recruitment to Selection

What we do is a function of how we think . Hence if we wish to bring in a fundamental transformation in what our ‘recruitment’ process can achieve , we need to begin with a transformations in our thinking, It starts with the term we use – ‘Recruitment’ , differentiating it from ‘Selection’ & make a fundamental shift in our mind orientation from the former to the later .

Recruitment to my mind is a mechanical process with a numerical connotation of hiring bodies.?‘Selection’ on the other hand -- the first level ‘quality control’ process, is about ensuring constitutional fit – is about finding Soulmates ! ?Current recruitment process has an overwhelming focus on exterior factors like Knowledge , Education , Skills , Experience ( years ) , whereas selection needs to be by Constitution – the interior design of a candidates mind , and by what it ‘ holds ‘ , not by what it has acquired .

?Unlike recruitment, which is a physical activity, the process of selection requires a mental or soul engagement. The process of selection involves directed efforts to make an informed decision towards a pre-identified desired constitution goal !

?The most crucial driver for successful right selection , on a sustained basis, is neither resources , skills or technology ( which , as I always maintain are important, but only as enablers ) but holding right perspective – right mind orientation . Organisations need to invest in orienting themselves and teams well, rather than an haphazard scramble for finding ‘Talent’ !

?Quality selection – Founding principles

Here are some basic foundational principles of effective selection.

?1.?????Selection by Constitution

Interviewing candidates based on their CV is an outdated routine. In Mathematical parlance, CV is a necessary but not sufficient tool in selection.

CV is not an instrument of selection but one of rejection – it should be used to weed out those who do not meet the Job Description( JD ) criteria, but not beyond for 1:1 interviews. ‘Recruitment’ aspect of the process ends with this shortlist & with that the utility of a candidate’s CV ! Whatever rigorous checks & mechanisms organisation needs to ensure that those , who make to this shortlisted are well equipped for the tasks & responsibility for the functional role they are being assessed for ; should be deployed at this stage .

?Second crucial stage of selection by constitution takes over at this point. ‘Constitution’ – as I explained in my earlier article is the internal make up – inner engineering of a person which consists of elements like : Values, Belief system, Attitude to life, Approach to work, Resolve/ sense of Ownership …etc – all that goes into shaping his thinking , leading to external behaviour & results

?It is important to note ‘Right constitution’ for selection is defined at the organisational level & hence is largely function agnostic – most part of its parameters remain common for selection across roles/functions & levels .

?2.?????Do not pay for what you can add, pay only for what you can’t

Intrinsic to rejection by CV & selection by Constitution is to differentiate between the external and internal aspects a candidate comes with.

Exterior make up of a candidate are the acquired aspects like education/knowledge and skills/experience etc v/s the interior make up defined by the constitution ?

Key realisation here is that while there are ways to supplement gaps in an otherwise promising candidate, on any of the exterior/acquired aspects; there is practically nothing an organisation do to ‘correct’ the interior make up of the person – Constitution is what comes intrinsic to the individual, can’t be ‘enhanced’ by the organisation

?Logical question is?“Why pay for what you can add?” i.e. since you can easily supplement any knowledge or skill gaps an employee may have, do not look for candidates with an overdose of these aspects or pay a premium for it.

?Instead hire a candidate & pay a premium if required, who brings in right internal capability – his/her constitution - that cannot be added or trained externally . Constitution is a better predictor & the prime driver of a person’s behaviour & achievements .

?3.?????Do not be under an illusion; you are not in the transformation business

Hirers need to understand that they may not have the wherewithal or time to effect a transformation in a wrong hire , more so against his/her wish. As they say?‘You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink’. Moreover, do not mistakenly overestimate the role of training. Training can only make a donkey a better donkey but not transform it into a horse. If you need a horse , better hire right . Hence, the most critical point in ensuring the availability of the right employees on the job is at the selection stage, not after.

?4.?????Conducting the right selection is a skill that hirers need to have

Although the right selection is fundamental to business success, ironically, in the world over, very little investment is done in right orienting the selection process. Very rarely are interviewers trained in quality interviewing, nor are they ever measured on their performance, except in a few organisations. To make the matters worse , I wonder , if any is aware of impact of ‘Constitution’ on right selection

?For quality selection, we need to reorient and upgrade the entire selection system around constitution parameters , in place of conventional emphasis on academics, knowledge, and skills.

?Selection by constitution – WHY?

Unless we believe that future is a straight line extrapolation of the past – there is no point in glorifying & paying premium for what the candidate claims to have done in the past . Instead, selection should be based on what a candidate is likely to achieve for the organisation through his/her future. We need to assess the candidate not based on what he/she was, but what they are and what they can be.

An organisation benefits not from a person’s intelligence, knowledge or acquired skills but more from their application.

We need to realise that while all externally acquired elements like knowledge , skills , experience are important constituents of performance – they are at best enablers - not game changers – there can not be a better predictor of how a candidate is likely to work & achieve , than constitution of the person.

Selection by constitution – WHAT?

A constitution is what makes donkey a Donkey and a horse, a Horse. We need to realise that while both Oranges and Mangoes may be great fruits; they represent different constitutions- we cant hope to get mango juice by squeezing an orange! We need to make a conscious choice of the constitution that suits our needs best.

?Each organisation needs to define what ‘ constitution ‘ of a candidate will be right for it; in the given time, growth & challenges framework – some factors can be generic to the nature of the industry while some will be specific to organisation’s current business context. The definition of the right constitution of a candidate for an organisation depends on factors like:

Nature of business/ industry it operates in, Character of the organisation( Vision-Mission, Value system/ Culture ) , Stage of its business evolution, Strategic outlook and Current circumstances

Right Constitution ensures the best cultural alignment between the candidate and the organisation at that point in time?

?It is logical therefore to infer following about right constitution for an organisation

??It is unique to an organisation at that time , since it is prompted by that organisation’s Business context , Strategic needs & Value system; by corollary it will be different for different organisations

??Being specific to an organisation & not to its function/domain , it is universally applicable for selection across functions/roles & levels

??Since organisations phase of evolution & business challenges change over time – definition of ‘ right constitution’ of people it needs in different phases will also change

?An organisation can best capture right constitution of a prospective candidate in a set of ( & limited to ) 3-5 parameters. As an illustration, I can cite a case of a small sized , entrepreneur driven organisation in the service industry, with a moderate ambition & humble character – that I worked with.???????????????????????????We distilled following set of attributes to define what a ‘Right Constitution’ means for its employees :

1.???????????????Independent thinking

2.???????????????Ownership

3.???????????????Self-management

4.???????????????Learning ability

5.???????????????Problem-solving

?Selection by constitution – HOW

For those interested in following this selection line, here are the broad steps:

1.?????‘Selection by constitution’ – forms the soul of the process. Its success requires involvement & ownership of Top Management – as it is not a mere processes enhancement , but a culture indoctrination ! The organisation will need to invest its energy & resources with full conviction

2.?????Define desired constitution in terms of a few (say 3-5) parameters that you need to look for in a prospective employee. These will be universal in nature and specific to organisation’s current working context. This is a synthesis of what an organisation stands for & how it sees its future . It is a foundational exercise- conducted internally; the organisation needs to invest in seriously

3.?????Assuming that all parameters are not of equal significance, vis-à-vis the outcome ( which is normally the case ) carefully assign different weightages to each in proportion to their impact.

4.?????Design a list of questions, situations, and psychometric mechanisms to help you to ascertain the level of these parameters in prospective employees; as also threshold level of a candidate’s performance on parameters individually & collectively for an entry into the organisation

5.?????Review selection process to align with this thinking. Institute entire system of process , tools / formats , mechanisms , interviewer’s guide, measurement , training , handholding & measurement. Orient and train the selection team to know what & how to look for and have the ability to be able to recognise and differentiate between a horse and a donkey.Define delivery parameters & performance measurement system for the selection team

6.?????Hold periodic feedback & learning workshops of the selection team , preferably with the help of a mentor , to share and reflect on experiences as also delivery performance.