Culture fit and your psych 101 class, is there a connection?
We have all had candidates turn down offers for one reason or another. Often times, we knew in our gut that the outcome was inevitable, but we continued down the path. Why? Recruiters have an innate ability to overcome objections and even though we know that we can't possibly overcome them all, we are compelled to try.
Last week one of my colleagues told me about a recent scenario where her candidate turned down her offer because the individual was concerned about their pre-teen child. Essentially, the candidate was concerned about removing the child from their "social circle". The lingering question in my mind is whether or not the candidate was concerned about removing themselves from their own social circle? ...and could this situation have been avoided?
Hearing this story provoked me to think back to my freshman year psych 101 class. Why psych 101? Well, for me, that was when Maslow's hierarchy of needs was introduced. When thinking about the hierarchy, it is assumed that most companies will be able to fulfill the physiological and safety needs of their employees.
However, they can't guarantee belongingness. This can be tricky, especially for candidates considering relocation. Your candidate might be thinking, "will my family and I fit into the the community?" or, "Will I fit into my new team?". Next comes Esteem needs, all people have them (well, with the exception of the pathological few). For your candidate, they need to know that they will have an opportunity for success in their new role. This leads to feelings of self-confidence, worth, capability and adequacy. All of which are keys to being successful in their career at your company. Finally, the ultimate quest for Self-actualization. Is there long term growth opportunities and will the new job help them feel happy and fulfilled?
At a conference that I attended in the Fall, I heard a statistic that was startling --roughly 88% of the people who vacate their jobs, do so because of the fit with the job and the culture. What can we learn from this? As recruiters, I think we can do more proactive listening. Listen for the queues and signals your candidates are sending. Sometimes we get use to "telling" vs. "asking". In the past, I have found myself telling candidates that the position required relocation. Now, I ask my candidates "is there anything that would prevent you from relocating if we offer you a position?". Ask this question, you will be surprised at the responses you will receive.
Last week one of my colleagues told me about a recent scenario where her candidate turned down her offer because the individual was concerned about their pre-teen child. Essentially, the candidate was concerned about removing the child from their "social circle". The lingering question in my mind is whether or not the candidate was concerned about removing themselves from their own social circle? ...and could this situation have been avoided?
Hearing this story provoked me to think back to my freshman year psych 101 class. Why psych 101? Well, for me, that was when Maslow's hierarchy of needs was introduced. When thinking about the hierarchy, it is assumed that most companies will be able to fulfill the physiological and safety needs of their employees.
However, they can't guarantee belongingness. This can be tricky, especially for candidates considering relocation. Your candidate might be thinking, "will my family and I fit into the the community?" or, "Will I fit into my new team?". Next comes Esteem needs, all people have them (well, with the exception of the pathological few). For your candidate, they need to know that they will have an opportunity for success in their new role. This leads to feelings of self-confidence, worth, capability and adequacy. All of which are keys to being successful in their career at your company. Finally, the ultimate quest for Self-actualization. Is there long term growth opportunities and will the new job help them feel happy and fulfilled?
At a conference that I attended in the Fall, I heard a statistic that was startling --roughly 88% of the people who vacate their jobs, do so because of the fit with the job and the culture. What can we learn from this? As recruiters, I think we can do more proactive listening. Listen for the queues and signals your candidates are sending. Sometimes we get use to "telling" vs. "asking". In the past, I have found myself telling candidates that the position required relocation. Now, I ask my candidates "is there anything that would prevent you from relocating if we offer you a position?". Ask this question, you will be surprised at the responses you will receive.
posted by De Novo at 7:03 PM
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