Increasingly, companies are evaluating job candidates on how well they fit their corporate culture — not just job.

It’s an important consideration, as shrinking budgets and economic uncertainty put a squeeze on corporate environments and demand smarter hiring practices.

Filling open positions can be a grueling, expensive and lengthy process. According to recent research by global human resources firm DBM, 94 percent find average job search is taking four to six months, with majority seeing most job seekers taking about five months to secure employment. And finding a new, senior-level position in current job market takes more than 12 months, compared to about seven months in 1998.

To manage more extensive search process, many companies are using personality assessments to find right person for their company. In fact, one third of 2,100 human resource managers recently surveyed by American Management Association were incorporating personality profiling into their hiring decision-making process.

Personality testing allows companies to go beyond first impressions and analyze true value of candidates’ skills and character. The goal is to determine how combination of two will fit into organization.

Considering a job candidate’s characteristics can help employers determine if that person has right ability and adaptability for their work environment. For example: a new hire may have outstanding abilities, but if he doesn’t have communication skills to work well with a team, he may not be best candidate. The company may be better off hiring a great communicator with average skills that can be improved upon with training instead.

The bottom line is: Personality assessments can help companies hire right employee — and retain them longer. And employee retention saves companies money and valuable time due to lost productivity and costs associated with recruiting and hiring.

In addition to personality testing, more businesses are relying on expertise of innovative firms like ASearch LLC to help them identify best candidates for job and company. ASearch is a Connecticut executive search firm that heavily factors a potential employee’s character into recruitment and hiring process.

In his 30 years of organizational development consulting, Bruce Clinton has watched too many poor executive hires endanger success of organizations. But very few executives fail because of their resume, says Clinton, a founding partner of ASearch. “Most failures are due to lack of right behavioral or cultural fit.”

If you only hire on experience, he poses, how do you deal with behavior and chemistry that walks in door? “We help hiring authority get beyond tip of iceberg, which is resume, experience, interview and references…to find best fit for organization's culture and job requirements.”

ASearch takes an in-depth approach that helps its clients lower their transaction costs. The company provides value-added services such as a company culture analysis of executive team. As a result, job candidates submitted to companies will all meet cultural and behavioral requirements for position and will have third-party assessments to verify their qualifications. Therefore, their clients generally only need to review a few candidates to find best match.

ASearch’s process guarantees suitability of candidates and removes risk of a poor fit. “Our value proposition is not offered by all search firms,” Clinton says. “As a matter of fact, I don't know of any that do all we do.”

The company’s approach is evidenced by its bold slogan: “We go beyond search. We take risk and doubt out of your next critical executive hire.”

ASearch is a major New England search firm that represents decades of organizational development, executive search and assessment experience. Following are questions and answers about company’s background and perspective on executive search process. More information is available at company’s Website at www.asearchllc.com.

Q: Why did you start ASearch? A: I saw this as an opportunity to fill a gap in an under serviced and misunderstood market of closely-held businesses. I believe small and medium sized businesses are key to our economic growth and felt that this retained search business could make a positive difference. And between my background and that of my two partners, we had an exceptional value to offer key executives and company owners.

One of biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring right people.

I've recently discovered a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way which will help you get it right.

This week I've asked Nathan Chanesman, Managing Director of Myprofile Pty Ltd. to please explain…

"Without quality employees who share your vision and work ethic your business is not going anywhere.

So how do you find "right" employee?

We've all experienced hiring "wrong" person. It's a nightmare. Hiring mistakes costs money, time and worse can easily ruin your business and your health! A recent survey in Forbes Business Magazine revealed, "Hiring wrong person is prime cause of business failure in USA". For most employers it's a lottery, hire someone and hope it works out.

People problems take most toll on us personally producing significant emotional wear and tear.

What if you had a tool that could tell you in advance of hiring, if candidates applying have right attitude and behavioural style to do that job successfully.

Now that would be something! Well read on. It's now possible to predict behaviour quickly and accurately.

People can do most jobs if they are qualified and skilled for that position. However some people have a more natural aptitude for a particular type of job. Their behavioural style closely matches job and as a result, they do better, are less stressed, can't wait to get to work, are enthusiastic and stay with you longer. The ideal employee! These are people you need to hire.

Which Behavioural Style Are You? Four dominant styles define everyones behaviour

Whilst we are all different, our behavioural habits and style are more predicable than we think. We each have a dominant style and this determines how we manage at work, at home, in our relationships, how we communicate and importantly what careers we are best suited to.

D - Drivers. These are people who want to get things done. Active and fast paced, more interested in tasks than relationships. Often strong willed and very assertive, they push to have things done their way.

P - Promoters. These are people who want to be noticed. Active and fast pace they are relationship oriented rather than tasks. Often very expressive, chatty, friendly and usually dramatic. Do things more intuitively.