
Developing Baselines
The Untapped Wealth of Information In Your Office
Different systems call it by different names. Some say "ideal profile" or "benchmarking". We'll refer to the task of identifying and quantifying Personality Characteristics and Traits as developing a "Baseline". Whatever one calls the process, developing a Baseline is developing Ideal Standards for hiring or promoting employees.
How to Identify the Basic Traits
You look around your office and see many
people doing different jobs, most happy and satisfied with
their job. Once in a while you overhear one employee say to
another "I'm glad I don't have YOUR job." Have you ever
wondered why they may say that? It could be that their
personality characteristics are so different from the person
who actually DOES the job, that they know they would never
be happy if they had to do the same thing.
It takes all kinds of personality types to build an
organization. Some must be leaders - efficient and demanding
while always looking at the "big picture" and the bottom
line at the same time. Others just want security - a good
pay check and well defined guidelines in which to work. They
will keep doing the same tasks over and over, day after day
and be quite happy.
Other positions need people who are relentless with detail -
very neat and orderly (perhaps the bookkeeper, accountant or
computer programmer for example). Where would the business
be if they didn't pay rigid attention to every detail?
The company has an image too, and people who are outgoing,
friendly, love to be with people and have a good time, can
be a real asset too! Perhaps some of the people in the
advertising or sales department have this type of outgoing
personality. The bookkeeper or the clerk can't imagine
themselves having to call people every day that they don't
know, introduce themselves and try to sell a product. At the
same time, the top sales person can't understand how anybody
can work all day inside and not go out and see people.
These are just a few examples of how the different
personality types interact with each other to help build a
strong foundation for a company. You gain the advantage when
your employees are selected and positioned so that their
talents, skills and personality traits are properly
utilized.
Once you begin to think about how each of your effective
people play an important role, you'll soon begin to see the
COMMON characteristics in people doing certain jobs.
How to Measure Personality Traits
The first, and possibly the most important
thing you can do, is administer a Personality Profile to
each and every employee in your company. Don't worry, our
reports are not expensive, and the information you gather
can be priceless!
What
you're looking for are the Personality Types and Traits that
make the best employees so successful in a particular job,
as well as which Traits are out of balance with the position
in less successful employees. Some companies make the
mistake of just testing the BEST people. You need to test
ALL employees and especially CONTRAST the best and the worst
so you can identify the DIFFERENCES. Often, the best and the
worst will share many common characteristics, but it is the
Traits they DON'T share that could make all of the
difference.
You may be surprised to find that some of the problem people
you've had may not be such a problem at all - they may just
be in the wrong job! The Hire Success System doesn't
identify "good" or "bad" people, just people who may have a
better chance of success in a particular job. Sometimes
giving a difficult employee a different job compatible with
their personality can turn them into a Super Star in the new
job!
Note: we are talking about comparing different people having
the same or very similar jobs. Perhaps John seemed like a
good salesman, but he just doesn't seem to have as many
appointments as Mary. After reviewing both of their
personality profiles, you see they are similar in many ways,
except Mary is more Outgoing and Aggressive than John. When
you look at all of the best sales people, perhaps you notice
the most successful ones are quite outgoing and aggressive
like Mary, and the ones who barely pull their own weight
just don't like to pick up the telephone and dial, resulting
in fewer contacts, appointments and of course, sales. Having
a more "introverted" personality may make it difficult for
some people to make "cold calls". However, that same person,
who may be failing in sales, might be the best customer
support person in your company if given the chance. If you
can identify the right people for the right jobs, you both
win!
Developing the Baseline
Each "Baseline File" represents an "ideal"
range for personality types and Traits. Once developed, new
applicants can be compared against the Baseline so you can
quickly and easily see just how close they come to having
the characteristics and traits that you know play an
important role in that position.
Each "Baseline" Range is shaded in a light color on the
Summary Report and Applicant Trait Values can easily be seen
either inside or outside the target range. The Hire Success
Report uses Graphics and Color to make a clear, concise
presentation of the Data so Managers and Decision Makers
don't have to hunt for the key information they need,
especially during the interview.
You also have the option of having the software create a
special test form to use to administer the test that will
AUTOMATICALLY APPLY the baseline when scored on our Online
Scoring Center. There is NO EXTRA CHARGE for creating,
applying or reporting using the Baseline information. You
may create as many different baselines as you need for the
various jobs or positions within your organization.
It is important to note that the ideal Baseline for one
company may be very different than another, especially if
they are in different geographical regions. The Baseline for
the best sales person in New York City will likely be quite
different than the top person in Indiana, and visa versa.
This is why you need a TOOL to help identify, classify,
quantify and apply this information. With Hire Success, you
have just the tool, and best of all, it is simple, cost
effective and is administered and printed on YOUR computer
using the same Internet software you use today to view this
site. You get just the information you want, quickly,
efficiently and inexpensively. Isn't that what you're REALLY
looking for? We'll even give you a FREE Personality Test
on-line just so you can see for yourself just how easy it
is, and how much accurate information you can expect from a
Hire Success report.
