Hire Smarter With 'Three Bones'

The hiring process is always tricky. Use a job candidate's 'three bones' to predict behaviors and determine fit.

Smart hiring decisions are critical to growing your business.

For many years, the pattern has been to hire for skill and fire for behavior. That pattern has forced companies to focus more attention on behavior during the interview process.

Many sophisticated tools exist to measure behavior and predict how people will act on the job. Companies who cannot afford these tools may try the "three bones" method to determine a job candidate's attitude about and behavior toward important topics.

The three bones will help you begin to understand more about candidates' motivates, values, and aspirations in life.

	How to find out	Importance
Funny bone	Does the job candidate have a sense of humor? Can the candidate be self-deprecating?	Work is stressful. Having a sense of humor is a proven technique for alleviating stress and building rapport with others.
Back bone	Does the candidate stand for something? Does he/she have a strong sense of self? Does the candidate have values and beliefs that are common to the company?	Companies cannot instill values and beliefs - people either have them or they don't. Values and beliefs are great predictors of future behavior. And, who really needs more "yes people" any way?
Wish bone	What dreams and aspirations drive the candidate? What does he/she want to accomplish in life?	Powerful results occur when career aspirations and job opportunities match. Knowing those aspirations will help companies invest in people who will be motivated to stick with a job while weeding out those who are still unsure about what they want.