Easy to say, but as you know not so easy to achieve, so how do you do it? Do you attract prospective staff in job ads? Do you explain a little about the role, more about the organisation and even more about the recruitment process?

Could you do it differently?

Successful recruiting organisations make sure they attract the right person by highlighting temperament traits needed to succeed in the role. They leave out the company name and customise the ad, dependant on the role they are recruiting for.

For instance, how would an ad differ for a Technical Specialist and Salesperson?

Technical Specialist

The right individual will love process and detail. Make sure the ad is very clear as to how they apply for the role & how their application will progress. Ask them to send a detailed CV and gather information about previous roles in preparation for the interview.

Salesperson

The right individual will be restless, goal-oriented and competitive. Make sure the ad is short and to the point. Insert a phone-number instead of a request for CV. Use the phone call as a screening interview and have a series of questions to ask.

After all making the transition from working for somebody else to working for oneself requires certain personality traits which are not necessarily the same as those needed by budding entrepreneurs. In truth, a franchise is something of a unique proposition. True, the franchisee owns the business but s/he are part of a much larger brand which has to be promoted and protected. Franchisees have to conform to a tried and tested formula – they can’t “go it alone”!

So then what traits are likely to make a franchisee successful? The list that follows may not be exhaustive but most attributes are all likely to figure to a greater or lesser degree depending on the franchise.

• A feel for people and a natural networker but still able to work alone
• An ability to make considered decisions and take calculated risks without losing sleepless nights
• A real desire and ability to “make things happen”
• Independent but not too independent
• A determination to succeed
• Ingrained customer focus
• Tremendous energy and enthusiasm
• An ability to learn – and quickly!
• An abundance of self-motivation
• Sales ability
• Leadership
• A big picture person – but who still retains an eye for detail (the devil’s in the detail)

It seems to me that a franchisee clearly needs to possess certain entrepreneurial traits but s/he must also be able to work within the framework of a tried and tested franchise formula. Identifying these traits up-front is important for the franchisor and the potential franchisee. After all this is a life changing decision and it’s critical that they are honest with themselves and have a real understanding of their strengths and their weaknesses if they are to be successful.

Unfortunately, however well it is constructed, an interview won’t reveal someone’s true personality – sometimes because people just don’t know their true preferences and sometimes because they tell you what they think you want to hear. Either way that can be a costly mistake for both parties. Only through psychometric testing can a franchisor and franchisee be reasonably certain that they a making the right choice.

In the second in a new series on sales recruiting for Winning Edge magazine, RICHARD YELLAND reveals some of the factors that will increase your chances of getting your next hire right.

Download the article here

In this, the second part of our series, we look at the remaining six steps to increasing hiring success.

Download the article here

• “Gut Feel “
• Unstructured interview questions
• Managers recruiting in their like image
• Candidates misleading on their C.V.

The McQuaig Psychometric System™ will help you cut through the fog and find the right people. It will provide you with an effective, objective, interview process that has been proven to work.

Clients tell us that it’s only when you see the results for yourself that you will be surprised with its accuracy.

“It is frightening how accurate the McQuaig Word Survey is. It gives us an insight that questioning never will” Martin McColl, HR Manager.

Try it for FREE in your next recruitment campaign.

Thank you to everyone for making yesterday such a positive event. We really enjoyed meeting everyone at the McQuaig Psychometric System stand.

If you missed the opportunity for your own FREE psychometric profile, just let me know and I will arrange a link to be emailed to you. We are looking forward to feeding back back over 60 profiles to those who visited us!

Download the article here

Every business has strong sales performers. They are usually the highest revenue producers and have the respect of the whole company. The recurrent issue is: “How can we find another Jane” or “I wish I could have an army of Bobs”.

Before the recession, recruitment was an activity that took a lot of time and was accepted as an ‘ongoing process’. These days it is a much more critical function — you simply cannot afford to get it wrong. It will cause so many tangible and intangible problems that the cost will be huge, although it is often difficult to quantify.

The solution is all about reducing the risks of a bad hire. A number of simple steps using a combination of common sense, experience and psychometric assessment will reduce the chances of getting it wrong significantly.

Download the article here

Visit the McQuaig Psychometric System at Stand 10 on 20th October 2011.

This year the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management’s (ISMM) annual conference ‘Successful Selling’ will introduce, in partnership with Lincoln West, the first UK Exhibition for the Sales Profession – ‘Successful Selling Expo 2011′.

The ‘Successful Selling Expo’ will give visitors the opportunity to see products and services aimed at improving performance for sales professionals across the UK and the McQuaig Psychometric System will be exhibiting at Stand 10.

Register here: http://www.ismm.co.uk/events_successfulselling.php

But identifying the types of competences needed for a role does not always include the behaviours needed. Behaviours are what make us tick and form the basis of how we will approach a role.

There are two types of behaviours – natural & learned:
Natural (or innate) behaviours define our core temperament and are set (depending on the occupational psychologist you speak to) between the ages of 8 and 18. Your temperament will determine factors like your competitiveness, drive, independence etc.

Learned behaviours are the parts of yourself you can change i.e. values, ethics, stability etc. These change throughout your life depending on your environment, partner, job etc.

So when you next put a role description together ask yourself – do you have a people description as well?