Data Driven Approach to Hiring Talent

Have you ever worked with someone who empowered and motivated you to do more? What about working with someone who drained your energy or made a project take longer than necessary? What if you could go to work knowing that your team was designed based on having traits that support a positive and productive work environment? What if there was actually a psychological assessment tool that could identify and assemble the perfect work team? This might sound like Myers-Briggs or other Personality Tests, but many personality measures only scratched the surface of what is being developed to support a data driven approach to hiring talent. As many of us know, the cost of hiring the right candidate could cost a company millions when you take into account the impact of one individual and their influence on an entire team and the organization. One wrong team member could promote a negative work environment or improve a team’s drive to do more.

In September of this year I touched on the topic “The Future of Identifying Top Talent”. I briefly discussed new psychological assessment tools that could improve the recruiting process. To continue with is topic I would like to share a little background on how I came to understand a data driven approach to hiring talent.

In 2001 I was introduced to several professors who were working on understanding human factor variables known to influence human behavior. One of the professors, Dr. Marilyn Dudley-Rowley, completed and published her work on deviant behavior in extreme environments. She challenged me to read her work (which was roughly the size of an encyclopedia). After reading her dissertation, asking questions and learning more about human factor variables, in 2002 she invited me to join her at UC Berkeley for a presentation about what she coined the “third quarter phenomenon”. When we arrived at the university she asked me to set up the microphone and welcome guests as they made their way to their seats. When a small group of doctors and scientist arrived she turned to me and introduced me to the group. Unaware of her intentions, she asked me to present her research findings…and I did.

The third quarter phenomenon is a point in time when a team will either achieve greater success or massive failure. Depending on team design it could go either way. Dr. Dudley-Rowley’s research identified significant variables in team design that could lead to success or failure outcomes. It was my job to carry her legacy and the legacy of other research scientists to identify and verify exactly what these characteristics were and to find a way in which we could measure their impact on individuals and teams. As I continued my research on the subject, more and more questions developed to which I read books and literature covering industrial-organizational psychology, motivational behavior, personality assessments, cross-cultural issues and a host of work place design and human factor variables. Then in 2012 I developed and implemented my research questions. I discovered ways to measure these characteristic variables known to influence team outcomes.

In 2014 I completed a research project that identified measurable characteristic variables which explained how one individual could influence others based on these characteristics. Yes, environmental factors play a role, which leads us to applying the data differently depending on surroundings. Discovering this new method for measuring psychological variables of an individual and correlating how it impacts an entire team’s ability to achieve success was a long process. As I continue inviting organizations to apply this process, I will publish the results for the benefit of everyone.

When we consider a data driven approach to hiring talent we extend far beyond knowledge and skill sets that traditional recruiting has accomplished. The new data driven approach is looking at identifiable and measurable psychological characteristics that can be assessed. These variables are then correlated with team performance and combined with other research findings like the third quarter phenomenon. The goal of a data driven approach to hiring talent is to support the development of teams that are more likely to succeed than by chance alone. Imagine that in just a few years we could have a data driven talent index helping to support the recruiting selection process.   

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.

About the Author

Dr. Eduardo Diaz is an organizational leader who applies peer reviewed research findings into actionable performance measures. He is an expert at identifying key human factor variables that influence individual and team performance outcomes. He is also a key talent acquisitions leader at Alexan Consulting Enterprise Services, LLC (ACES) in Sacramento, California where he manages a database of over 5,000 technology candidates. 

His experience in identifying highly productive talent through applied quantitative measures has forged a unique recruiting process, best hiring practices, and identification of skill sets that support increased organizational team performance. His assessment process was developed in collaboration with his colleagues in Osnabruck, Germany and he continues to further develop its applications with the goal of supporting the selection process for teams planning to embark on long duration space missions.

Body Language during a Tech Interview

This might come as no surprise, but body language plays an important factor in interviews. Granted, a tech interview is probably not like a modeling interview where looking the part is also half the interview process, but I’m not referring to the philosophy of “dress for success”. I’m talking about the way you carry yourself when you enter a room, how you sit at a desk, whether you cross your arms or if your eyes drift during the interview. Regardless of whether or not the interview is by phone, Skype or in-person, it’s important to be aware of your body language.

In a Skype interview earlier today I was speaking to a candidate about a Business Analyst opportunity. The candidate was responding to text messages on their smartphone at the same time I was asking technical questions. This took their focus away from the interview and impaired their ability to show me that they were truly interested in the job. Based on the candidate’s body language, it appeared that they were more interested in their text conversation than the job opportunity. It’s important to keep in mind that during an interview you should keep your arms uncrossed, face the person you’re speaking with and stay engaged in the conversation. Do not get distracted by other factors that could diminish your chances of making a good impression.

When I was at a technology job fair this past month all of the interviews were held in-person. It was great to see candidates so enthusiastic about the opportunity to interview. Their excitement was clearly conveyed by their body language communication style. They kept their body turned in my direction, kept their eyes and attention on me and they showed true interest in the interview process. Even with several people passing nearby and the noise factors of other conversations, each candidate stayed focused, asked questions, and responded with details.

Interviewing is all about mind set and focus. Someone once said “If you want to go somewhere all you need to do is point your body in the right direction and start walking”.

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.

When you have 48 hours to hire Tech

The tech recruiting process can be filled with crazy days. This was the case for my recruiting team and me this past week. We went from over a dozen job requisitions (req’s) to zero and then back to an entirely new set of req’s. It’s not often that we find ourselves with no req’s to fill. In fact, it’s nearly impossible, but that’s a good problem. It always seems easier to go from one req to another. It’s a constant on demand search that motivates us to keep moving. The challenge is managing what to do when you go from having a lot of req’s to having no req’s. The simple answer is workforce planning.

When there aren’t any req’s to fill it’s easy to slip into a zombie like state. If you’ve worked in the food industry or almost any job where a project was temporarily finished, on hold, or ended, you understand. It’s a feeling that something is missing or maybe it was overlooked. To begin with, as a tech recruiter taking a day off is actually not as easy as you might think. We are by nature working in the office, out of the office, “on the line”, or at a coffee shop. We listen for tech chat, here the murmurs, and we levitate over to make a connection. We do what comes naturally; we connect with tech.

I’m happy to say that it’s great to have a lot of tech savvy candidates keeping us tech recruiters in the loop. It’s also great to have so many great relationships with other recruiters; they are always happy to lend a hand. For example, this week, on that crazy filled day when we didn’t have any req’s to fill we were reaching out to more and more candidates, saying hello to our recruiting partners, and locating new tech events. By the time the new day arrived the chaos began. It seemed like every 2 hours we were getting 3 new req’s from every hiring manager we knew. From 0 to 60, so to speak, we were bombarded with req’s. And just when we thought it was getting busy we received another 3 more req’s that needed to be filled in 48 hours. Did we succeed? Absolutely! We planned for these type of opportunities. We knew what tech recruiting partners to reach out to, we were able to reach out to candidates who had contracts coming to an end and we already had an idea of what candidates were available and a great fit. We reached out, confirmed the details, and submitted each candidate to the hiring managers for consideration.

When you’re searching for your next career, contract or change of scenery keep touching base with recruiters. Get to know them and attend as many social events as you can. The time to hire in 48 hours happens more often then you could imagine. 

Author: Dr. Eduardo Diaz, helping you exceed expectations.