HOW TO RECRUIT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME Chris Byrnes In 1997 the US Air Force realized it had a recruiting problem. The problem wasn’t with the recruits however, it was with the recruiters. The Air Force had been hiring and training 400 new recruiters a year, and the cost of training each new hire was upwards of $30,000. The problem was that nearly a quarter of the new hires left within the first year, and it was costing the Air Force millions of dollars. But how could it choose applicants more suited to the job?
Along came Canadian Steven Stein, from Multi-Health Systems of Toronto, who suggested the Air Force try testing the emotional intelligence of the applicants. It was a touchy-feely solution for the hard-nosed Air Force, but they tried it. With the help of Reuven Bar-On, a researcher and psychologist at the Haifa University in Israel who had been studying the elements of emotional intelligence for 20 years, they developed a 133-item test list called the Bar-On EQI (Emotional Quotient Inventory).
This system was designed to measure the key traits that make up the overall quality called emotional intelligence, the hard to pin down traits such as self-awareness, empathy, flexibility, stress tolerance and general mood.
The Air Force tested 1,200 of its best recruiters, those who regularly met or exceeded their quotas and scored the highest on the EQI. Using this group as the benchmark they then tested the next round of candidates, and only selected those who scored the highest. The turnover dropped to eight, compared to nearly 100 the previous year. "The Air Force ended up saving about $2.7 million," says Stein. "I guess they were happy, because now we’re working with the Army and the Navy as well."
New York based L’Oreal also found success using EQI. Their results showed when they hired new sales executives based on the results of an Emotional Competency test, turnover dropped by 63% and they outsold others hired under the old method by an average of $91,370 each.
The old way of evaluating a candidate that grades technical proficiency and an outstanding resume are helpful, but they don’t tell the whole story. Evidence shows that EQI testing is a valuable tool when selecting new hires. There is a much better system than the "hire and hope” method used by a lot of employers today. And your radio station can tap into this resource through our supplies alliance. We’ve team up with Hiring Solutions a company who specialize in finding the right person for a job. They will test each of your candidates, and provide you with a comprehensive report that will help you select the right person for the position in Sales, Programming or Announcing.
The easy to read "Personality Profile" evaluates personalities, talents and traits. Before hiring you will know, where they belong, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and where they need training. Also included are interview questions based on extreme weaknesses and strengths, and an executive summary outlining what motivates them and what turns them off. Before the interview you will know more about them than their best friend.
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