Pairing talent with the right positions is crucial

Employees who don’t feel happy and engaged in their jobs have a tendency to look elsewhere, and many eventually even leave. That’s why pairing talent with the right positions is of critical importance to businesses of all kinds.

Effective talent pairing not only results in better hires, but also serves as an effective workforce retention strategy. Below, I outline an easy three-step guide to successful talent pairing.

Step 1: Understanding the opening

The first step in talent pairing is essential, yet many human resources professionals usually skip it: developing an in-depth, detailed understanding of the role you need to fill. Instead of comprehending the job in general terms, it’s necessary to get into the nitty-gritty.

This means slowing down and taking a lot of time to consider the realities of the position — not simply reading the job description, but also visualizing the work involved. How much does the role require interaction with others, either clients or coworkers? How much time is spent completing which tasks? What activities does that staff member need to love in order to be successful?

The answers to questions like these will steer you toward the kind of person you are looking for. Remember that just because someone might have the right background or education on their resume doesn’t mean they will actually be a good fit for the role. They also need to possess the same or similar values, motivations, and personalities fostered by the company’s workplace culture — which brings us to the next step.

Step 2: Understanding the candidates

When it comes to successful talent pairing, reading resumes and other application materials is only the beginning. Getting to know the applicants should also entail slowing down, paying attention, and taking the time to understand them as fully as possible.

For instance, when interviewing prospective employees, I do not only listen to what they say, but also pay attention to what they don’t say. I also look for microexpressions or gestures that might reveal interviewees’ spontaneous emotional reactions. Watching for these can tell you a lot about what the person really thinks or feels.

We also let our applicants take our values assessment and Cyberbacker Personality Assessment. I reiterate that there are no wrong or right answers — these assessments help us determine how happy they will be in the positions I find for them, so it’s in their own best interests to be genuine.

Of course, some people may feel tempted to lie and give whatever they believe are the “right” answers, so before having them start answering the questions, I ask them to be as honest as possible. I explain that their answers will determine how happy they will be in the positions I find for them, so it’s in their own best interests to be genuine.

Step 3: Pairing positions with people

The third step is the most complex. It involves creating connections between two already complex things: roles and human beings.

When it comes to this step of the process, a handful of personality traits can help HR professionals already make quick decisions. For instance, candidates who find relating to others energizing are likely to thrive in roles that involve a lot of interaction. At first blush, they may be good fits for customer service or client relations. On the other hand, introverts can find meetings draining, so they will probably do better in roles that allow them to focus their attention on completing tasks independently.

Other elements are more elusive and require you to tap into your gut. Every workplace has its own culture, and every team within that workplace has its own subculture. Now that you know which candidates would fulfill the skills and abilities of the job, which are likely to share the relevant division’s values? Which applicants possess the kind of motivation that would be well served in the role?

Once you’ve identified this group, it’s time to set up a new round of interviews so that the team can meet the prospects and get a feel for them as well. This is important because HR needs buy-in from the team with the open role. Giving existing staff members a voice in the decision-making process maximizes the chance that they will become invested in the newcomer’s success.

Good talent pairing means a great future

Businesses that don’t invest adequately in talent pairing risk making bad hires, which ultimately costs the business more time, effort, and money. While talent pairing may seem time-consuming, slowing down in these ways will actually prove faster and more efficient in the end.

Related: ‘Caring’ as an employee benefit: Your employees will thank you for it

As a result of effective talent pairing, your employees will be happier and more productive, and you will be able to focus on growing your team rather than weeding it.

Gerlie Corachea is the Director of Talent Pairing at Cyberbacker, the leading provider of virtual assistance services worldwide.