Diploma or Attitude

Luis Leal Leonor CEO 2iBi | software www.2iBi.com

In a recruitment process it is common to pay attention to 4 factors: Technical Competence and Knowledge, as well as Attitude and Motivation of the candidate.
What are the 2 factors you usually value the most?
We always tend to value the first two, the skills and technical qualifications of the candidate. In the first approach it even seems like the best option, because we want a great and effective performance on any assigned tasks. But it may not be that way…
Imagine that you are hiring a technician who has excellent technical skills and multiple degrees and cannot meet schedules, deadlines or appointments with other people, including clients. Is it a good option?
In our company when we recruit the first concern has to do with the behavioral profile of the candidate (we use the DISC evaluation method, which we will talk about below), and we verify if the candidate aligns with our Vision, Mission and Culture.

DISC profile
DISC are the initials of Dominant, Influencer, Stable, and Conscientious

Extroverts are usually in the D or I quadrants, while the reserved ones are in C or S. The people who orient themselves to others are I or S, while those who focus more on tasks are D or C.
Usually people have a more fitting profile that stands out from the other three. There are no right or wrong profiles. All are needed for a successful person only that some will be more suited to certain function rather than the others.
If we are looking for a commercial, a communicator, who is easy to establish relationships with other people, the obvious thing is to have a profile I. But if we want the same person to have administrative functions, which are repeated every day, that same person with profile I will be annoyed of death…
There is a book that explains in a simple way about the DISC profiles. See more here: http://takeflightlearning.com/

Selection Phases
When recruiting we have taken a different approach using a multi-stage system from the publication of the vacancy, receipt of applications, evaluation of applications and a group interview where the candidates who reach the final stage are present.
To begin with, we do not start by reading all the applications we receive. Before deciding which CVs we are going to read we ask the candidates to answer a questionnaire (typically consists of five questions), which addresses on technical and organizational issues, case studies or previous experiences. We try to make the first question unique, Typically Yes or No. This will eliminate those who do not meet the basic requirements at the outset. For example, if we are looking for someone with professional experience, the question can be the same, and follow up only to those who answers yes.
After classifying the questionnaire responses, we then read the CVs and check the references. We then come to the list of the qualified candidates for the final phase, which is decided in a group interview.

Culture
In the group interviews we show the vision and mission of the company, as well as what our current organizational chart is and what it will be in the future. Here we show that there are still various positions to be filled in the near future, and that all team members will have the opportunity to evolve in this organizational chart. It is also at this point that we will speak about some daily, weekly and monthly rules and routines that the entire team uses internally and externally in communication with customers.
In addition to the Vision and Mission, we have a document with the 12 points of our culture. The points include topics such as Commitment, Responsibility, Goals, Focus, Discipline, Personal Improvement, Passion, Innovation and Success. In the interview the points of Culture are read and discussed to identify who fits more with what points. By the participation of the candidates in these discussions it is possible to understand who is more extroverted, more reserved, more daring, more cautious, more secure or insecure.
After showing what the company’s culture is, we go on to present some practical cases and ask the candidates to present solutions for them. At this stage we also encourage debate and discussion of the solutions presented between the various candidates. At this point in the interview we get to pick out how they react to new situations, how they interact with others, how they react to suggestions from others, whether they are more dominant or followers, how they organize, how they write, how they speak, how they communicate, how they reason, Capacity for innovation, imagination and the presentation of new ideas.

Concluding…
In these interviews we evaluate technical aspects, but we value more the personality characteristics of each one. What we are looking for are the people who fit best to our company’s culture. The framing of a company’s culture is directly related to the personality and personal characteristics of the person, and has little to do with their abilities or technical qualifications.
In short, when we recruit we can value the skills and technical knowledge, or the attitude, motivation and personality of the candidate. Skills and technical knowledge can be acquired through training, reading, workshops, and all kinds of content that are available today in books, training programs and on the Internet. What about personality? Will we be able to change or adapt one’s attitude to the culture of our company? It will not be impossible, but it will surely be more difficult and will cost a lot more.
If we have a person motivated and aligned with our company culture, our rules, our rituals, our routines and our team, that person will have the optimum environment and conditions to develop his technical skills and evolve in the performance of the functions.
A person’s personality is difficult to change, while knowledge and technical skills can always be taught and learned.

Luis Leal Leonor
Managing Director
2iBi | software