Part 1 Simulation - Hiring the 'right' people

#The Scenario BestBakery is a long-established bakery in a prosperous city. It has become famous for its amazing assortment of donuts. In the last year the company has identified a demand for their bakery products in two new shopping centres that have opened up in the city. They have promoted you to the role of store manager of these two new branches, which are due to open in two months’ time. You have worked your way up the company for the last 15 years and are really looking forward to the new challenge of being a manager. You will be responsible for hiring the 6 new staff needed for the first new store. You know from your experience in the company that finding people with strong interpersonal skills and a positive attitude is key to the success of the new store. Your first job is to find an assistant manager. You have done your research and believe that using personality tests can assist in finding the ‘right’ person for each role in the new store. The one that seems to be widely used is one called the Big Five or the Five Factor Model, developed by McCrae & Costa (1987) so you decide to administer this test to your short-listed candidates. On the next page, you'll see partial information from the Big 5 test for each of your top two candidates. [[See the characteristics for the candidates->The choice]]

#The candidates Here is partial information from the Big 5 test for each of your top two candidates: <div class="candidate-wrapper">''Candidate 1'' --- ''Openness to Experience – Medium Characteristics'' You have a medium level of openness to experience. At times, you can be very creative, curious, and adventurous. At other times, you prefer routine. You are able to find a great balance between ideas and practicality. ''Extraversion – Low Characteristics'' You are an introvert. While you enjoy spending time with others, you truly get your energy by spending time by yourself. Spending too much time around others leaves you feeling tired and drained. Others describe you as thoughtful and quiet. Being the centre of attention usually makes you feel uncomfortable. You may not be a social butterfly, but you do an amazing job building relationships with others. You find that you typically have a few friends whom you are very close with, rather than many acquaintances. The relationships you have with others are usually very long-lasting. Others would describe you as detail-oriented. You listen more than you speak and are thoughtful about whatever you say. In stressful situations, you always seem calm and level-headed. ''Neuroticism – Medium Characteristics'' You are moderately neurotic – at times, you can be anxious or emotional, while at other times, you are relaxed and calm. Your mood may fluctuate slightly, depending on the day. You describe yourself as a realist. You don’t tend to be overly optimistic or overly pessimistic, and are able to view problems clearly and realistically, considering many factors. Your neurotic traits – such as worrying about how you are perceived by others – make you successful in your career. Coupled with your ability to remain level-headed, you have a great balance of traits to be a natural leader. You try to do your best at everything, even if there doesn’t seem to be anything in it for you. People who are moderate in neuroticism make great employees and supervisors. </div> <div class="candidate-wrapper">''Candidate 2'' --- ''Openness to Experience – Medium Characteristics'' You have a medium level of openness to experience. At times, you can be very creative, curious, and adventurous. At other times, you prefer routine. You are able to find a great balance between ideas and practicality. You typically are a good problem-solver. When you are faced with a problem, you consider the tried-and true methods, but are also able to think outside the box. You are able to handle whatever life throws at you. ''Extraversion – Medium Characteristics'' You are an extrovert. You enjoy spending time with others, you truly get your energy by spending time with others. Spending time around others leaves you feeling energised. Others describe you as the life of the party. Being the center of attention usually makes you feel comfortable. You do an amazing job building relationships with others. You find that you typically have a lot of friends. Others would describe you as not very detail-oriented. You talk more than you listen. ''Neuroticism – Medium Characteristics'' You are moderately neurotic – at times, you can be anxious or emotional, while at other times, you are relaxed and calm. Your mood may fluctuate slightly, depending on the day. You describe yourself as a realist. You don’t tend to be overly optimistic or overly pessimistic, and are able to view problems clearly and realistically, considering many factors. ##The decision Which candidate do you prefer at this stage? [[Candidate 1->Candidate 1]] [[Candidate 2->Candidate 2]]

#Candidate 1 Candidate 1 is open to experience which means he is well suited to careers that balance creativity with stability which would suit this role in a bakery where you need to continually create new ranges. However, he is an introvert which means which means that he feels more comfortable focusing on his inner thoughts and ideas, rather than what’s happening externally. He enjoys spending time with just one or two people, rather than large groups or crowds, which will not work well in this management role in a retail outlet where he is expected to deal with customers also. What do you do now? [[Bring candidate 1 in for interview to gather more information about his attitudes.->Candidate 1.1]] [[Decide not to go any further with candidate 1. Return to the decision and see what happens when you choose candidate 2. ->Candidate 2]]

#Candidate 2 People with more extroverted tendencies are often the centre of attention and they like it that way. They thrive in social situations and they seek out social stimulation. Extroverts are usually not afraid to introduce themselves to new people, and they rarely avoid unfamiliar situations. This would seem to be a key trait needed for the role of an assistant manager in a busy retail outlet. Candidate 2 also has the trait of being a good problem solver, again a key characteristic for the role. [[Bring candidate 2 in for interview to gather more information about her attitudes.->Candidate 2.1]] [[Decide not to go any further with candidate 2. This brings you back to original decision where you now chose candidate 1. ->Candidate 1]]

#The interview You bring candidate 1 in for an interview and you find that he is indeed quite shy during the meeting which is an expected trait for an introverted person. However, he displays one of the key attitudes for leadership during questioning, that he will step up and take responsibility every time. His answers demonstrate he would never step aside and let a team member take the blame for an unfortunate situation or outcome. What do you do? [[You bring candidate 1 in for a trial day.->Candidate 1.2]] [[Decide not to go any further with candidate 1 because you are not convinced his interpersonal skills are strong enough for the role. This brings you back to original decision where you now chose candidate 2. ->Candidate 2]]

#The Trial Day You find during the trial day that, when Candidate 1 makes a mistake, he blames it on one of the team members and does not show them how to undertake the task correctly. You know that people are often inconsistent in their espoused attitudes and beliefs and how they subsequently behave in real life. Candidate 1 is, however, much more outgoing than you thought he would be and makes a great effort with both the staff and the customers. What do you do? [[Decide to give him a one-week trial to give him a chance to prove himself as outgoing enough for the role. ->Candidate 1.3]] [[Decide not to go any further with candidate 1. This brings you back to original decision where you now chose candidate 2. ->Candidate 2]]

#The one-week trial He is quiet, but still able to engage with both the team members and customers. He is not particularly outgoing, but he is still able to communicate in an effective if a quiet way. This trial demonstrates, however, that you had overlooked the test findings about his neuroticism. During the week he is on trial he is quite emotional and anxious and seems to find it difficult to deal with customer complaints when they arise. You decide not to hire him. [[See what happens when you choose candidate 2 instead.->Start]]

#The interview Candidate 2 performs well during the interview and displays strong interpersonal skills which are key to your search for the right candidate. She does, however, appear to be a little anxious during the interview and you are concerned by this. You are not sure if it is just nerves because of the interview situation. What do you do? [[Give the candidate the opportunity to undertake an in-box exercise to gauge how well she performs job-related tasks within a certain period of time.->Candidate 2.2]] [[Decide not to go any further with candidate 2. This brings you back to original decision where you now chose candidate 1. ->Candidate 1]]

#The in-box exercise In-box exercises are intended to test how well a potential employee can organize and tackle assignments, from understanding the scope of an assigned task to planning and executing the individual initiatives. In the process, hiring managers can see how well the applicant manages their workflow. Candidate 2 performs very well in the exercise. What do you do? [[Hire candidate 2. ->Candidate 2.3]] [[Decide not to go any further with candidate 2. Return to the decision point and see what happens when you choose candidate 1.->Candidate 1]]

#Hire candidate 2 After 6 months it is clear that you hired the right candidate as she has performed beyond expectations. [[Return to the start.->Start]]