In Mark Murphy’s book “Hiring for Attitude,” he says that 46% of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months, attributed mainly to non-technical or non-skill related items. While it is certainly true that most employees are fired for non-skill related items, this does not prove that attitude is more important than skill or other Candidate Metrics; rather, that attitude should be looked at as equal to the rest of the candidate’s attributes. The truth of the matter is that we often hire for skill, and most often fire for attitude, but what about the important attributes in between? We should be hiring for four Core Candidate Metrics: Skills, Competency, Culture and Attitude.

1. What Makes the Best
Candidate?
Steve Lowisz
Author, Educator, International Speaker
Presented By:
Webinar Series Sponsored By:
March 13th 2013

2. Review the primary reasons
employees fail and eventually get fired
Learn the 4 key dimensions of every
candidate and employee –What are
the building blocks of the candidate’s
DNA?
Understand the flaws with common
recruiting/interviewing practices
Learn how to improve the questions
you ask that will increase the odds of
long-term success
In thisWebinar
You will…

3. Is Attitude more
Important than
Skil
l?

4. Mark Murphy’s “Hiring for Attitude”:
States 46% of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months,
attributed to non-technical or non-skill related items.
• Coachability
• Emotional Intelligence
• Motivation
• Temperament
• Technical Competence
SkillVs. Attitude
89%
11%

5. Example: “Rudy”
• Did he posses the right
attitude, focus, dedication?
• Did he posses the right
skills?
• Did he posses the right
abilities?
• Was he considered an “A”
player?
Attitude did not take the
place of skill and ability.
SkillVs. Attitude –TheTest

6. Why are most employees fired for attitude?
Because we focus on skills!
Think about position intake sessions with your hiring
manager – what is the focus?
3-5 or more “required” skills
• 3 years of sales experience
• 2 years managing sales reps
• Proven experience exceeding quota
SkillVs. Attitude

7. Reality:
• Most recruiters focus on a candidate’s experience -
skills
• Most recruiting processes drive transactional
behavior – “Let me know what you think of this
resume”
• Most recruiting processes/interviews do not focus
on a complete understanding of an individual’s
multiple dimensions
SkillVs. Attitude

8. • Skills/Experience
• Attitude
• Competency
• Culture Fit
The 4 Dimensions

9. The 4 Dimensions Defined
• Skills/Experience – Does the
candidate have the training/education
to do the job?
• Attitude – Has the candidate shown
they want to do the job?
• Competency - Does the candidate
have the ability/behaviors to do the
job? (Rudy)
• Culture Fit – Does the candidate do
the job the way the company does or
wants to?

10. Skill determines fit for the
function
Competency determines fit for
the job
Attitude determines fit for the
career
Culture determines fit for the
company
Competency and
culture
Skill & Attitude MUST
be matched with
Competency & Culture

11. The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions
Effective candidate interviews must…
Account for Skill, Attitude, Competency and Culture
Be consistent in what they measure and who is
measuring
Be thorough – not just a focus on technical skills
of role
Have an associated answer guide

12. Why do so many Recruiters and Hiring Managers
miss the mark?
Skill, Attitude, Competency and Culture
make up a candidate’s “DNA”
Candidate selection should only occur after
fully understanding each of these attributes
Interviewing techniques are supposed to
highlight “soft skills”, but fall short in
real application
Most Recruiters are conditioned to focus on skill only
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

13. So what are you looking for?
• Can you identify the 3-5 must have skills of the role? (Not years of
experience!)
• Skills Example: Presentation
 Through reading books, taking classes and practicing, it is possible to learn how to give
effective presentations. Presentation skills are more easily absorbed by some people
than by others, but a presentation is still a task one can learn how to perform.
Presentation skills may be part of a larger competency such as communication.
• Can you identify the most important competencies/behaviors to be
successful in the role?
• Competency Example: Communication
 Many people refer to their strong communication skills, but communication is really a
competency that relies on a combination of certain skills, behavior and knowledge.To
communicate effectively, for example, a person may need to understand cultural
diversity and behave with patience.
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

14. SoWhat areYou Looking For?
• What are the top 3-5 specific attitudes you are looking for?
• What are the prevalent attitudes of your top performers? Bottom?
• Attitudes are most commonly position-specific
Good Attitudes: Poor Attitudes:
Caring? Condescending
Persistent? Placating
Objective? Overwhelming
• What are the key cultural aspects/values of the organization?
• What are your company’s core values?
• Bank – vs. – Google
• Open to change, speed to execution, etc.
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

15. SoWhat DoYou Ask?
Skill and Competencies are usually asked together:
• Ask the candidate what they accomplished
• Ask the candidate how they accomplished it
Attitude and Culture are usually asked together:
• Ask the candidate how they handled a situation
• Ask the candidate why they handled a situation that way
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

16. Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates
1. Identify the Key Attitude
2. Identify differential situation – pro/con
3. Ask the question
4. Leave it hanging
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

17. Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates
1. Identify the Key Attitude
• Self-Directed
2. Identify differential situation – pro/con
• High performers – proactively acquired new
skills
• Low performers – Often throw their hands up,
resist, and complain
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

18. Steps to identifying ideal attitudes of candidates
3. Ask the question
• Could you tell me about a time you lacked the skills
or knowledge to complete an assignment?
4. Let it hang
• Could you tell me about a time you lacked the skills
or knowledge to complete an assignment, and how
you overcame it? NO!
The purpose and importance of asking
the right questions

19. • Gaining full insight improves Candidate’s
likelihood of long-term success
•Thorough assessment of Skill,Competency,
Culture, and Attitude will save time and
resources in the long-run, increase RIO
• Make sure you understand the required
attitude and company core values
•When interviewing candidates, keep
consistency across all interviewers - what are
the skills, competencies and attitudes you are
seeking?
Recruiter of the past:
more HR and a lot more
transactional
The important of looking at
Skill, Attitude, Competency,
& Culture evenly every time
The Balancing Act

20. Questions?

21. What Makes the Best
Candidate?
Measuring Skill, Attitude,
Competency, and Culture
Steve Lowisz
Author, Educator, & International Speaker
Presented By:
Webinar Series Sponsored By:
March 13th 2013