Celebrate great performance! Focus on what’s going well. It's about successes and building on strengths, not spending ages on their weaknesses - that serves no-one. Go with positives!

4. Bio-data I’m not referring to DNA. Instead, bio-data is biographical data. Here’s how to benefit from bio-data. Grab files on your superstar employees. Look for common work-related experiences or education that most of them have.

3 For example, one company I consulted to wanted to hire salespeople to sell a service (not a product). Upon examining bio-data of company’s superstar salespeople, we found high-achieving salespeople had worked selling services. Most of company’s underachieving salespeople worked in sales, also. But, underachievers sold products, not services.

Interestingly, same company also discovered most of its superstar salespeople worked at McDonald’s for six months or longer in high school or college. This showed an interest in serving customers (after all, that is what McDonald’s stresses) plus stick-to-itiveness (lasting six months or more in a normally high-turnover job). So, start digging into your bio-data treasures located in employees’ files.

5. RJP RJP stands for realistic job preview. To do an RJP, (a) show applicants exactly what they will do on-the-job if you hire them, (b) let applicants think about it for 24 hours, and (c) then ask applicants if they want to take job. Research shows employers who give detailed RJPs get two results: 1. less employees accept job offer 2. applicants who accept job off are less likely to turnover

Importantly, an RJP needs to be super-realistic. For example, I consulted to a tire company. It had great difficulty getting people to work in “purgatory” – a horribly hot room in which hot, just-made ties were moved on tire molds. Anyone who worked in “purgatory” room spent all day covered in sweat and thick white dust. No wonder most people quit that job after short time!

I recommended using RJPs. The company worried, “Applicants won’t take that job if they know much about it!” I said let’s try RJP anyway. Sure enough, after seeing this awfully hot and dusty job, only a small percentage of applicants took job. But, those who did stayed a long time. Note: They were people who acted distinctly “odd,” and relished feeling hot and sticky all day!

Do It Now If you remember these points, you can hire best – and profit from it: 1. what you see is not all you get – but it is best you will see 2. use customized tests, since tests predict job success better than other methods 3. take advantage of predictors right under your nose, including referrals from winners, bio-data, and RJPs.

Importantly, you can start these valuable methods today so you immediately start hiring best.

© Copyright 2005 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.