You'd think it would be easier to evaluate whether or not a potential employee is going to be a good fit for a position at a collision shop. Estimators need to know how to write an estimate; technicians need to know how to repair a car. But time and again, shop owners have trouble matching the right employee to the job, one reason that the collision repair industry sees such high turnover rates.
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According to Norm Bobay, founder of hireMAX, one of the key disconnects is that while business owners may be able to clearly identify the technical requirements of any given job (the specific skills needed to do it well), they aren't able to benchmark the "softer" elements, like personality, people skills, and communication skills. These factors are the ones that can prevent employees from succeeding at specific jobs, much more so than the technical aspects.
"Quite commonly, people measure skills and fire for attitude," Bobay said. "The person doesn't fit the job or get along with the team, or they don't have the leadership abilities required."
Bobay and Larry Baker of LVB & Associates (and a facilitator for DuPont Performance Services), provided an overview of ways that companies can more effectively measure for personality when they are evaluating new hires. The presentation, "Benchmarking a Job's Performance Standards," took place Friday afternoon at NACE.
