Identifying the Must-Have Behaviors When Hiring for a New Position

Effective hiring is a crucial process that demands precision. Among the multitude of factors to consider during recruitment, one paramount aspect is crafting behavior-based questions.

Behavioral questions serve as a potent tool to gauge whether candidates possess the requisite experiences and behaviors vital for the position at hand. The question then becomes: Which behaviors should you be seeking?

Fortunately, generating a comprehensive list of required behaviors isn’t an arduous task. Two primary sources can guide you in this endeavor:

1. Performance Reviews

Begin by examining the performance reviews of individuals who have previously occupied the role you’re currently hiring for. What are the various areas that were evaluated? Are there specific characteristics that people were evaluated for? For example, there is most definitely an evaluation of teamwork and collaboration of the employee in the performance review. Maybe there is also a criteria of planning skills.

Make a list of the things that seem important to you. As a new manager, there are no wrong answers; you’ll refine your understanding with each interview you conduct.

2. Top Performers

Still looking at those performance reviews, focus on qualitative comments that provide valuable insights when comparing the evaluations of your top-performing team members with those who are less effective. Look for comments that stand out — be it in terms of technical proficiency, teamwork, communication prowess, or other noteworthy attributes. These insights can offer a glimpse into the traits that set top performers apart. It’s advisable to seek candidates with strong ratings in these specific characteristics and add them to your list.

You can directly engage your top performers in conversation. Ask them what they believe makes them effective and why. Inquire about the skills, traits, abilities, or characteristics they consider most valuable. You have two options for gathering this information:

• Share your existing list and request their input.
• Simply ask them to provide their own lists.

Incorporate any new insights gleaned from your top performers into your list. With these steps completed, you’ll have in your possession a well-rounded list of desired behaviors for the open position.

Now, the next phase is to formulate behavioral questions based on this list. We will delve into this topic in a future blog post.

Note: The suggestions outlined in this post draw from information found in “The Effective Hiring Manager” by Mark Horstman, along with my own experiential knowledge.