« Don't Hire with your Gut | Main Blog Page

Correlation between Hiring and Job Performance Criteria

Not the most exciting title I know, but once you have evaluated your needs and you are listing the things you are looking for in a candidate, you must ask yourself if there is an actual relationship between the criteria and solid job performance or just a perceived relationship.

For example, it is assumed that someone with “x” years of experience in the same or a similar role somewhere else has the knowledge to do the job. Maybe, but are there poor performers with lots of experience? Yes, a bunch. Another example would be the college degree. It is assumed that a person has greater writing ability and perhaps greater analytical ability because they have a college degree. This is probably true, but the worst adjuster I had was an MBA and some of the best did not have formal education after high school.

The above mentioned criteria are fine for deciding whom to bring in for an interview, but when the interview process begins the focus must be on what characteristics make an outstanding performer and properly testing for them. For example, a good claims professional …
•Makes fast and accurate decisions based upon the insurance policy and company guidelines.
•Is good at handling people in tense situations.
•Is professional in demeanor and gets along with peers
•Clearly communicates complex ideas to non-professionals verbally and in writing.
•Handles the workload well

For a great article on this subject that applies to all insurance professionals, read The 8 Characteristics of Awesome Adjusters published in Claims Magazine in 1996, the year I became a supervisor. l gave all of my adjusters a framed copy of the article to keep on their desk.

This concept of aligning your hiring and job performance criteria is one of those simple concepts that can be very hard to successfully put into practice. One reason why is that experienced professionals know what is expected of them and they talk the talk very well. When it comes to discussing what we might call issues of behavior, they know what to say in an interview.

In my next posting, I will suggest some ideas for separating the candidates with the right professional character from the pretenders.