Candidate Manager

Atul Gawande, in his book Checklist Manifesto, argued that good people underperform mainly due to errors of ineptitude rather than errors of ignorance or inability. Essentially he believes that decreased performance arises from employees simply “not doing what they know needs to be done”. This means that the training is correct, but the application and motivation is not. So if the employee is fit for the job, but not applying himself/herself fully:

1. What can be done to rectify the situation? and
2. How can an employer reduce the risk of this happening?

Firstly, organisation’s need to be pro-active than reactive, when it comes to underperformance. When an employee begins to slide in performance levels, it can be difficult to stop, and in many cases impossible. So how can a company be pro-active? While it can be difficult to foresee a downturn in an employee’s performance,  there is one option that greatly minimises this risk. The top performing applicant tracking software (ATS) systems offer psychometric testing and various other assessments. These give an indication on how employees will act and behave in certain situations. Depending on the type of role, can be very successful in screening candidates that would not react in the manner the role requires them to.

Gutwande suggests that the proper use of check lists can also minimise ineptitude related problems. The check lists are quite extensive, but Lou Adler, author of Hire With Your Head, greatly endorses this idea. “I have been using the checklist for recruiting for 20 years. A recent project resulted in three placements for three different positions with only five candidates presented”.

An ATS can be viewed as an automated check list. From job descriptions, job posting, screening and ranking, employee evaluation, requisition procedures, applicant tracking software incorporates a recruiter’s checklist in the most logical manner.

Another method to ensure that you avoid ineptitude in your work force is to be very clear from the outset what the person is required to do. Fluffy job specs may appear superficially to be very clever, but can be a factor in a low performing employee down the line. Why would the person want to work for the company?  And what is expected of them in that particular role. Failure to be clear and concise often come back to haunt an organisation.

What is clear is that there is no one clear cut method to avoid low-performance in the work place. However, it is apparent that there are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of this occurring. Candidate Manager is a global based ATS system that is more than simply an ATS. With high levels of customer service and account management, Candidate Manager offers a consultancy that enables organisations to maximise return from their investment. This means that only the most suitable applicants will be considered for the roles advertised.