Pertinent Negative in Recruitment

We are all born and have grown up in different environment where we have learned how and when to eat, what type of food we are familiar with, what kind of cloths to where and when to wear it, and how to address and treat people around us. All this forms what we call our culture. We collect, analyse, and interpret the information based on our culture. The culture influences our behaviour that leads to the way we view and treat others. There are many concepts and theories affecting our behaviours; for the purpose of this work, we will discuss “Pertinent Negative”. Throughout this article we will talk about the importance of Pertinent Negative in human interaction; we will look at broader view to improve relationships with others using pertinent negative, and how it is important for both recruiters and managers.?

To every experience, each of us brings own perceptions, attitudes, and expectations. Even if we have witnessed one incident of event, our interpretations and experience will not be the same when it comes to its reporting or restitution. Our perception is influenced by what we see, hear or sense; but there is always a part of the story that we cannot see that can be very crucial. This is where the pertinent negative is so important in our human interactions (Chukwubuikem, 2020). Candidates, hiring team members, and managers are both human beings who have lived in different environments with different cultures and perceptions which influence their behaviors. “Pertinent Negative gives us an unbiased impression about the individual, as we are not looking for what we can see, but what we can’t.” (Burkus, n.d). There is a saying “the devil is the details”; the details can be seen only when we zoom in. But in most case people rush into conclusion that eventually misses the other side of the story. There is no silly question in learning; a simple question can open a door the whole of crucial information.?

Pertinent negative is so beneficial in recruitment as we deal with different stakeholders because it will help us to zoom in the details when interacting with them be it candidates, hiring managers, people and culture team, or our peers. It helps us to go beyond the behaviour by trying to understand the hidden factors influencing this like the person background, their culture, their belief, their past experiences, or education. “The best way to grow and be good at pertinent negative is to make it a habit of asking what you don't see, hear or notice during team collaborations or meetings (Herman, 2016). ?

If the work is not well done due to lack of information or unavailability misuse of tools, a manager will always blame their team for not reaching out for help. But a good manager will always start by asking couple of questions to deal with own set of pertinent negatives to avoid last minute surprises. Some questions that appear to be very simple can lead to the collection of a crucial information that will help in taking informed decisions (Atkinson Consulting, 2016). In anticipation more questions should be asked to eliminate any possible mistake. Pertinent Negative can help managers during performance appraisals or the hiring process as questions asked will lead to a conversation or a dialogue that will push a person to open up and share the information they never intended to share or the one they do not know how to share. (Atkinson Consulting, 2016).?

Pertinent negative concept is very vital in one’s personal life especially in recruitment as we interact with multicultural stakeholders where our so-called cultures show their limits since each person has different interpretation and perception of others. Pertinent negative appears to be inevitable in such environment as it helps to ask more questions to know the untold and to hear the unheard of what drives different behaviour. Knowing this will change our perception of others.

Talent acquisition or recruitment consultant will frequently use the concept to dig deeper during the consultation meetings with their stakeholders.?

References

Burkus, D. n.d. How to notice what you can’t see. Inc. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/david-burkus/how-to-notice-what-you-cant-see.html

Chikwubuikem, F. A. Perception and Pertinent Negative: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/perception-pertinent-negative-chukwubuikem-felix-amaefule/

Herman, A.E.?2016. Visual Intelligence – Sharpen your Perception, Change Your Life.

Atkinson Consulting. ?2016. The Pertinent Negative. https://atkinsontshirt.com/2016/09/24/the-pertinent-negative/