Recruiting Top Talent with The McQuaig Job Survey

When things get really busy on your team and no one has enough time to do everything that needs to get done, you realize you need more manpower. Or when you know something needs to be done but no one has any idea how to actually do it, it’s time to bring in a new member. But who is this new addition? What type of person will mesh well with the team? What characteristics do they need to actually do the job?

In making your wish list you will likely start with the basic experience and educational background. This person went to university for this and knows how to do that. Then naturally you will start to throw in things like “they need to be able to take charge” or “they will need to be self-directed”. At the end of the exercise you will have an entire list of “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves” that describe your perfect new team member.

The Problem

Although this list is great, and definitely necessary, there are two problems. One, the personality aspects that you have listed, to the untrained eye, may be contradictory. Did you know that it is conflicting to be someone who likes to take charge but also be detail oriented? Two, the team members that helped to make this list may have different ideas on the prioritization of these aspects that will lead them to look at candidates through different lenses. If one person thinks it is more important to be cautious while another thinks it’s more important to be persistent, than they are looking for two very different candidates.

The Solution

The Job Survey consists of 21 sets of 4 words or phrases that asks the respondent to rank them in order of most descriptive to least descriptive in relation to what is required for a role. The result of the Job Survey is an ideal personality profile for a position that can be used as a benchmark for comparisons against candidates. The accompanying report will notify you if your choices are contradictory and allow you to adjust accordingly. And when multiple people complete the Job Survey, comparing the results will highlight any discrepancies in team members’ expectations and force a discussion on what is best for the role.

Other Helpful Features

Once you have the outline cut out for your perfect new team member, it’s time to find some people who will fit it. Like any good piece of content, you want the job description to resonate with your reader. You want your ideal candidates to read it and feel compelled to apply. You can use language right out of the Job Survey Report to help you do so! And just to make sure you have the right applicants, the report includes resume screening tips and behavioural based interview questions for your phone screening process.

Completing the Job Survey takes just ten to fifteen minutes and provides you a picture of your ideal team member that is both consistent and cohesive. Using this profile in your recruitment process increases your hiring accuracy, especially in combination with the McQuaig Word Survey.