Hiring with Talent in Mind

Mark Leheney

for performing the work that is needed often

T he pursuit of excellence derives from indi-
viduals’ desires and efforts to develop
their special talents. If the drive to develop
isn’t considered a mandatory step in the hiring
process, but studies conclude it is one of the
individual talents is supported in the work- best courses a company can follow.
place, the result is a win-win situation for It wasn’t so long ago that limitless free-
both employers and employees. By matching dom for people to set their course in life
employees and their natural talents to busi- would have been considered an absurdity.
ness objectives, employers are more likely to Talent wasn’t factored into the search for
see their performance goals achieved, as well work or the hiring process. In most cases,
as an increase in employee morale as employ- experience, education, and even fate had
ees gain a sense of value about their roles and more influence over where and how people
passion about their work. Accordingly, com- worked. For example, just a few generations
panies are far more likely to succeed in this ago, most male children born on a farm
highly competitive economy when manage- faced fairly high odds that they’d be plowing
ment fills vacancies with individuals who for a living. Employment choices and deci-
have a sense of importance about and enthu- sions were limited by economic, cultural,
siasm for their work contributions. When this and societal constraints. It was that way for
happens, employers know that the individuals so long that it’s taken years for most people
they have hired will do their best to make a in the workforce to capitalize on the great
positive effort, not because the company freedom of career choices now available.
demands it of them, but because they have an And now that employers are recognizing that
authentic sense of purpose. talent is part of the hiring process, a number
of strategies are used to help both employers
UNCOVERING UNIQUE TALENT and employees uncover employees’ innate
talents so that individuals can be placed in
To be clear, this article focuses on uncovering positions that motivate them to do their best.
employees’ innate talents, not just the skills
they’ve learned or the potential abilities they Just Ask
have to accomplish a set of tasks. For employ-
ers, developing employees’ talents translates Often, individuals are unaware of their
into gaining real strengths in the organization’s innate talents. Some employers help employ-
workforce. Yet, filling positions by matching ees discover their talents by offering semi-
them with people who possess natural talents nars, guides, consultants, or tests. Others

© 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 43

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ert.20129
Employment Relations Today
have found they can obtain the same results
by simply asking staff members a few key
questions, such as:
1. Where do you feel most comfortable?
2. What are you doing when you lose track
of time?
3. At the end of a workday, what makes you
feel that virtuous sense of a “good tired”?
4. What do you consider effortless?
5. What gives you a sense of passion?
6. What gives you a relaxed sense of confi-
dence?
Self-Directed Search/RIASEC Model
Psychologist John Holland first developed the
self-directed search (SDS) model for educa-
tional and career planning in the early 1970s.
One technological revolution and three revi-
sions later, the SDS is now the most widely
used interest inventory in the world. Using
Testing an individual’s aptitude consists of a series of
independent work samples or tasks, each one tapping
into a different ability.
extensive research about how people choose
their careers, the SDS Interpretive Report is
based on the theory that people can be
loosely classified into six different types or
categories, identified by the acronym RIASEC:
1. Realistic
2. Investigative
3. Artistic
4. Social
5. Enterprising
6. Conventional
Each category contains information about
careers typically sought by that type of person,
44
abilities inherent in that type, things that type
likes to work with, and words that are used to
describe that type of person. Since each per-
son often resembles several types, a hexagon is
used to show the similarities and differences
among the six types. After completing the
SDS, individuals receive a summary score and
summary code. The SDS Interpretive Report
takes an individual’s code and searches a list
of over 1,000 occupations, over 750 fields of
study, and over 700 leisure activities in order
to print examples of each for the report.
Aptitude Testing
Testing an individual’s aptitude consists of a
series of independent work samples or tasks,
each one tapping into a different ability. Test
design is intended to measure natural talents,
meaning the inborn abilities that make it eas-
ier to learn or do something. It’s not uncom-
mon for employers to combine this with a
personality test for an even clearer picture of
an existing employee or job candidate.
Ability Potentials is a company that uses
aptitude testing to guide people toward more
satisfying careers. “We help individuals under-
stand their natural, innate gifts and learn how
these unique abilities impact one’s education,
career, and even relationships,” says Sharon
Dilling, president of Ability Potentials. Unmis-
takably, people who have made this connec-
tion offer companies far more potential for
growth than those who are at jobs where they
choose to make their way blindly.
Dilling’s clients range from curious stu-
dents who wonder what’s next to midcareer
professionals looking for a new direction.
Using a unique battery of copyrighted tests,
clients are required to do over 20 different
tasks. Their scores on each task form a profile
that describes what they were born to do, like
Mark Leheney
Employment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert

tasks that are easily learned or those that indi-
viduals can comfortably perform on the job.
“Every occupation uses certain aptitudes, and
the profile of aptitudes required for different
careers has been extensively studied for over
80 years,” remarked Dilling in an interview.
Employers that agree will benefit by way of
boosting morale, thus increasing productivity.
On its Web site, Ability Potentials high-
lights three ways to help clarify what apti-
tude testing is not:
1. Aptitude testing is not an interest test. For
example, an individual may be very inter-
ested in being a concert pianist but lack
the basic talent to do it successfully as a
career. Furthermore, interests change over
time and with life experience, so testing of
this type is not good for making long-
range career plans.
2. Aptitude tests are not personality inventories.
Stated differently, they are not questions
people can answer about themselves. Such
inventories, like the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator, rely on the mood or vision of the
test taker at the time he or she answers the
questions. Also, such indicators allow peo-
ple to answer as they think they ought to
answer, whereas aptitude tests require the
person to engage in a specific action.
3. Aptitude tests are not intelligence tests. Two
people who score the same absolute num-
ber on an intelligence test could have
totally different aptitude test profiles. An
intelligence test score doesn’t specify
strengths or weaknesses relative to any
given career.
OBSTACLES TO HIRING BASED ON TALENT
Although a fair share of companies spend
time, effort, and money uncovering and hir-
Hiring with Talent in Mind
Employment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert
Winter 2007
ing unique talent, others allow misconcep-
tions to keep them from pursuing the talent
connection and reaping the benefits that
come from hiring those who are highly moti-
vated about their work. Some of these mis-
conceptions are listed below.
J Employees can practice any skill and perfect
it. In other words, falling for the idea that
anyone can learn anything with enough
practice invested. The Gallup Organiza-
tion has researched this issue extensively.
Two of Gallup’s senior executives, Marcus
Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, coau-
thored the best-selling book, Now, Discover
Your Strengths (Simon & Schuster Trade,
An intelligence test score doesn’t specify strengths
or weaknesses relative to any given career.
2001), which addresses how little sense
most people have about their talents and
strengths, much less their ability to build
their lives around them. The authors con-
clude that what happens is a tendency for
most people to work hard at becoming
experts in their own weaknesses, allowing
strengths to lie dormant. They propose a
revolutionary program, which attempts to
work against this pattern by helping indi-
viduals identify their talents, build them
into strengths, and enjoy consistent, near-
perfect performance.
J If it is critical to fill a position, it’s OK to
just fill it. “I had to fill the position”
ranks right up there as one of the top
reasons many employers find themselves
stuck with employees they would have
never otherwise hired. Unfortunately,
before they know it, they’ve invested a
45
Employment Relations Today
fortune in an employee who will never
be much more than average.
J Employee morale has little impact on the
bottom line. When management doesn’t
take the time to discover talented
employees or understand the degree to
which talent can be strengthened, low
morale is a natural result. Low morale
contributes to high turnover, power
struggles, poorly functioning teams, and
general dissatisfaction. On the other
hand, when management feeds talent,
heightened levels of morale have a posi-
tive impact on productivity.
J Work is not meant to be fun. Most have
either heard or used the phrase “That’s
why they call it work” to explain away
the drudgery of work life. Engaging in
processes that are mundane, repetitive,
or frustrating tends to promote this
attitude. It is up to employers to offer
opportunities in the workplace that help
An employee using his or her true talents has more than
twice the productivity of a person who doesn’t have a
natural talent for doing the same job.
to counter this attitude. And if employ-
ers do promote such opportunities for
rewarding work, they should not have to
live with employees who possess this
mind-set. It is an extremely destructive,
circular argument. The truth is, work
can and should be pleasant and
rewarding.
When these misconceptions exist in the
workplace, they prevent companies from
making quality hiring decisions. The
stronger companies will look beyond these
misconceptions and develop creative strate-
46
gies to hire the right people and retain
them.
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFORTS TO RECOGNIZE
TALENT
When a manager is given the task of hiring
to fill a given position, rarely does the search
focus on talent. Experience is the most
important consideration in the hiring deci-
sion, although special skills and education
are also important. Talent usually isn’t pro-
filed at all, and this is in stark contrast to
the conclusions drawn from recent research
on the matter.
Kenneth Tucker, an executive at the Gallup
Organization, was referenced in the May
2004 issue of Entrepreneur magazine (in an
article entitled “Talent Scouting” by Chris
Perttila) on the issue of harnessing an
employee’s natural talents. According to
Perttila, “[Kenneth Tucker’s] research has
found that an employee using his or her true
talents has more than twice the productivity
of a person who doesn’t have a natural talent
for doing the same job. And a company rock-
ets to the next level once each employee
applies his or her talents.” “Tiger Woods rede-
fined our reality of what great golf looks
like,” Tucker says. “Talent will redefine the
reality of your organization.” Not enough has
been done to recognize and foster talent. In
fact, the sad truth is, many executives select
candidates, interview them, and hire them
using the résumé as their evaluation tool.
What they end up with are employees who
can probably learn to get the job done, but it
won’t signify the exceptional performance
that comes from the individuals whose talent
leads companies to their next stage of
growth.
Mark Leheney
Employment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert

“It’s very difficult to get business owners
to be honest enough with themselves to
admit they hired mediocre and now must
accept mediocre,” says Robert Sniderman,
PhD, SPHR. As president of HRFocus USA in
Valley Village, California, one of his com-
pany’s services is to implement performance-
management programs.
Along with helping clients to face what
mediocrity really looks like, Sniderman also
tries to paint the opposite picture, showing
what might happen when the choice is made
against mediocrity. The organization would
stand a far better chance at continuing along
its course successfully if the company put
forth the effort to recruit the talent. “As long
as business owners hire employees limited by
their own abilities, they should also expect
the company then to be limited by its own
resources,” he says.
Sniderman’s familiarity with observing
organizational behavior and employee
performance confirms his belief about
what makes certain organizations so success-
ful. “Only when an organization can evalu-
ate the business honestly and accurately
can it expect to move forward. This is
because the honesty will bring leadership to
recognize the need to hire people with the
talent to accomplish what they cannot do so
well. Only then will employees be empow-
ered in such a way that it elevates every-
body’s game.”
Why has talent been left out of the hiring
process for so long? Partly because talent
comes in such a variety of forms that it takes
concerted effort to define it. For example, tal-
ent isn’t defined by an impressive amount of
experience, nor is it found only in a person’s
skills. Some say talent comes through in a
person’s confidence; others say as long as the
Hiring with Talent in Mind
Employment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert
Winter 2007
people hiring know their own talent, they’ll
know how to spot it in others. In the end,
although the talent required for each position
is defined differently, it cannot continue to be
ignored during the hiring process.
Companies aren’t only faced with the
need to step up talent searches; they must
also do what’s required to keep the talent.
What employers don’t want is to recruit
quality talent only to find new hires discour-
aged by their new environment within six
months. “Employers that expect high perfor-
mance must realize that, in exchange, it
helps to start out by expressing a clear
vision, purpose, goals, and expectations,”
says Sniderman. “Employees must be able to
see the bigger picture, especially when it
comes to how their contribution works
toward accomplishing the greater goal.”
JOIN THE TALENT ECONOMY
Thanks to individual as well as organizational
strides, the second half of this decade will
come to be known as the “talent economy.”
Individuals who find their niche will be well
Thanks to individual as well as organizational
strides, the second half of this decade will come to be
known as the “talent economy.”
on their way to making their mark in the
workplace, which gives the companies they
work for a much better shot at making a
mark in their industries.
Benjamin Franklin once called wasted
strengths “sundials in the shade,” or, stated
differently, useless. Employers that shudder at
the idea of taking the time to hire talented,
passionate, happy people are likely blind to
what can come from it. The small percentage
47
Employment Relations Today
that have already taken the leap are those
who now would never consider hiring any
other way.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO
Of course, having innate talent alone is not
enough. The second part of the success equa-
tion is finding the magical intersection of tal-
ent and interests. This is where ability and
desire unite. In Now, Discover Your Strengths,
Buckingham and Clifton drive home the idea
of building one’s life based on his or her
strengths. They use four examples of strong
lives: Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Cole Porter,
and Warren Buffett. All represent strong lives
because they pursued their one strength. The
authors write how Tiger Woods’s strength is
in his length with his woods and irons, Bill
Gates is a genius at taking innovations and
transforming them into user-friendly applica-
tions, and Cole Porter shines in his ability to
carve the perfect lyric.
But, the one most illustrative is Warren
Buffett—probably America’s most remarkable
investor. The authors describe Buffett’s
address to a class of students at the Univer-
sity of Nebraska. Buffett kicked off his
speech by stating, “I am really no different
than any of you.” Of course, this sounded
silly to a roomful of students who likely
won’t come anywhere near amassing his for-
tune. Buffett went on to clarify by persua-
sively stating, “If there is any difference
between you and me, it may simply be that I
get up every day and have a chance to do
what I love to do, every day. If you want to
learn anything from me, this is the best
advice I can give you.”
Obviously, the authors knew Buffett’s rele-
vance had nothing to do with his personal for-
tune. Rather, Buckingham and Clifton explain
48
how Buffett has figured out something that
can serve as a practical guide for everyone:
“Look inside yourself, try to identify your
strongest threads, reinforce them with practice
and learning and then either find or, as [Buffett]
did, carve out a role that draws on these strengths
every day. When you do, you will be more pro-
ductive, more fulfilled, and more successful.”
Pearls of wisdom? Priceless to most
career people after 20 years in the corporate
world, but harder to understand for a col-
lege student who doesn’t yet realize how
tough it can be at times to respond to the
world’s demands. Buffett’s intended mes-
sage here would not be apparent unless the
students could somehow look past his cur-
rent goldmine, back to a time when he must
have established the principles that brought
him where he is today, which is exactly
what they did.
Buffett knows his strengths because he
believes in building his life around them. For
example, it was his admirable patience that
helped him develop his “20-year perspective.”
It leads him to invest only in companies
whose trajectory he can forecast with some
level of confidence for the next 20 years. At
one point, he resolved to invest only in those
companies whose products and services he
could intuitively understand. For example,
consider that Buffett didn’t invest in either
Microsoft or the Internet because he didn’t
feel he could paint an accurate picture of
where high-tech was going to be in 20 years.
The book’s authors use the example of
Buffett to drive home the fact that excep-
tional performance comes from a combina-
tion of natural talent and the drive to develop
it in pursuit of excellence. The imperative in
the talent economy is to look for employees
who have talent and support them in devel-
oping their drive to make the best of it.
Mark Leheney
Employment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert
 Winter 2007

Mark Leheney is a senior consultant for Management Concepts. The company, headquar-
tered in Vienna, Virginia, was founded in 1973 and is a global provider of training, consult-
ing, and publications on leadership and management development, project leadership,
organizational change, and performance management. The author may be contacted via e-
mail at mleheney@managementconcepts.com, or visit www.managementconcepts.com.

Hiring with Talent in Mind 49

Employment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert