Making sure that candidates have the right skills and experience during the recruitment and selection phase is of great importance, but making sure that they will fit with the team and the company is equally important. Sometimes teams experience a great disconnect with their new hires for a number of reasons. These negatively affect rapport, the workplace dynamic, and can put teams at a disadvantage especially when no one gets along. ASW Consulting, a recruitment agency in Vietnam, brings talented people together. We ensure that both the candidates and the company are a great match so they can work and grow together. These are our suggestions on how to ensure the best fit for both candidates and clients.

Match for skills and knowledge 

We know this is a given, but it bears repeating that a person-job fit is the bare minimum for any role, meaning the person has the right qualifications to fulfill their job description. When a manager or executive is hired for a job that they aren’t entirely qualified for, this can be a problem for the team. For example, if a project manager joins a team, but this person has let their project management certification lapse, or has had very little experience with recent industry tools or managing a team, this can put the whole team at a disadvantage, having to retrain and retool their newest member. This can also cause a lot of conflict in terms of responsibilities and workloads.

You should also assess your candidates for practical experience but having a structured, competency-based interview. When possible, conduct a skills test, case study, or on-the-job assessment to be sure that they can accomplish the different role requirements successfully.

Align with team culture and company values 

When we have a discovery call or meeting with a client, we try to get a sense of the team we’re hiring for. Is the team comprised of all younger people, or a more diverse age mix of individuals? What sort of hours do people work? What gets celebrated or rewarded in the team? Are they social at or outside of work? What is the management style in the team? Whatever the collective team personality may be, this can inform your recruitment strategy by looking for candidates who may more easily blend in. Diversity and Inclusion are important for any team, differences should be recognized and it’s this understanding of team dynamics that can help candidates self-select in or out of new opportunities.

You should also think about person-organization fit, which is the compatibility between a professional’s and company’s set of beliefs, values, and ethics. You might also want to think about the candidate’s career and life aspirations, and how the company will be able to help achieve them. When you hire for similar perspectives, attitudes, and work ethic that align with the company’s values, this new hire will add a lot of value for the team.

Be crystal clear about work expectations. When you’re recruiting for senior and leadership roles, it’s important to be transparent about the challenges ahead for them. They could be doing more of the grunt work while they build the team, or they may be expected to work extra hours to transform a team or improve business results. In interviews, pay attention to their questions and concerns, as well as how they react to your questions – these are telling of the important concerns they may have about this opportunity.

Catering to the team’s non-negotiables 

From our perspective as a talent sourcing consultancy in Vietnam, it is prudent to ask the team or hiring manager about their non-negotiables around their new hire. They may require their new team member to have excellent communication skills, vast experience managing teams, technical knowledge on all the programs used at work, or simply be a highly collaborative individual. By considering their specific quantitative and qualitative non-negotiables in your recruitment, you’ll be able to narrow down the right persona for them. In many cases a psychometric personality assessment can add a lot of value in this part of the selection process.

Talent sourcing consultancy in Vietnam 

We at ASW Consulting employ best practices when recruiting for our clients, and we’re happy to share our insights with you, our fellow recruiters, in finding the right executives for your clients. For further information about recruitment and onboarding, visit our Resources page and bookmark this page for updates on talent acquisition and retention.