Use Job Style to Find the Perfect Employee Fit

2 of November, 2023

You need to fill an open position on your team, but finding the right hire can be tricky. Sure, skills and experience matter, but job style is just as important. Ever notice how some people thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure roles, while others do better with more routine work? Identifying a candidate’s style can help ensure they’ll be engaged and stick around for the long haul.

The key is looking beyond the resume to get a feel for what really motivates and energizes a person. Ask open-ended questions to understand how they approach problems, handle stress, and stay productive.

Consider having them walk through examples of challenging work situations they’ve navigated. Look for clues that point to whether they prefer stability or change, individual or teamwork, following directions or taking initiative.

Finding the perfect job style match for your team will transform how you hire. With the right tools, like Sesame’s recruitment software, identifying styles is easy. And when you bring on people who naturally thrive in the work environment you offer, you’ll set your company up for success.

What Is Job Style and Why Does It Matter?

Job style refers to the overall feel, pace, and environment of a role. Does the position require an outgoing people-person or an analytical mind? Finding candidates whose job style aligns with the position and company culture leads to greater long-term success and satisfaction.

For example, a fast-paced startup will likely want candidates with an energetic job style who thrive on change, while a detail-oriented accounting firm may prefer methodical individuals. Identifying your company’s predominant job styles enables you to seek out applicants with a complementary work ethic and temperament.

Identifying Style in the Recruitment Phase

When hiring, consider how candidates approach their work. Do they prefer tight deadlines or longer timelines? How do they handle stress or uncertainty? Their answers can reveal job styles that mesh well or clash with your team’s existing styles.

Using a tool like Sesame’s recruitment software allows you to evaluate job style and other attributes to find the ideal match. Instead of relying on gut instinct alone, data-driven insights take the guesswork out of discovering talent that will hit the ground running in a role and fit right into your company’s culture.

With the variety of job styles in today’s workforce, finding the perfect match for your position is key. Focusing on job style in addition to skills and experience leads to recruiting the kind of enthusiastic, dedicated employees every company wants. Make it a priority and you’ll build a team with the motivation and temperament to drive your business forward.

How to Identify the Right Job Style for Your Company’s Needs

To find the perfect employees for your company, you need to determine your job style. This refers to the overall environment, values, and work style that represent your organization. Once you identify the right job style, you can hire candidates that will thrive and help your company succeed.

For example, if you have a fast-paced, ambitious environment, you may want to look for candidates with an entrepreneurial job style. These individuals are creative, adaptable risk-takers who thrive on building something new.

On the other hand, if your culture focuses on teamwork, work-life balance and job security, a harmonious job style may be a better fit. These individuals value collaboration, empathy and stability. They make great team players and help promote a positive work environment.

Different Styles, Different Approaches

Other job styles include analytical, structured, and artistic. The key is finding what combination of job styles, skills, and traits will complement your existing team and support your company goals.

Once you determine your ideal job style, use it to evaluate candidates. Look for relevant experience, key skills, and most importantly, evidence that their work style matches your needs. Don’t be afraid to ask targeted questions about their preferences and values to determine if they’ll fit into your organization’s culture.

Tips for Assessing Job Style During the Hiring Process

During the hiring process, assessing a candidate’s job style can help determine if they’ll be a great fit for your company’s culture and needs. Some tips for evaluating job style:

• Look at their resume and cover letter. Do they focus more on tasks and responsibilities or outcomes and impact? The former may indicate a more procedural job style, the latter a more conceptual one.
• Ask behavioral questions in the interview. For example, “Tell me about a time you had to complete a routine task. How did you approach it?” Their answer can reveal if they prefer systematic or spontaneous ways of working.
• Provide a sample work task. For a role requiring strong attention to detail, you might ask the candidate to review and provide feedback on a document. For a creative role, give them an open-ended prompt to come up with some initial ideas or solutions. Evaluate how they approach the task.
• Consider giving personality or work style assessments. Tools like Sesame can help determine if a candidate’s traits and preferences align with the job requirements. However, don’t rely solely on assessments, as interviewing and evaluating real work samples are also important.
• Discuss the key responsibilities and priorities of the role. An adaptable, versatile candidate with a balanced job style will show interest and ask good questions about both the routine and conceptual aspects of the work. Someone with an extreme style may focus more on only one side.

Finding the right job style match is key to hiring an employee who will thrive and stay engaged in their role long-term. With a balanced approach that considers both work styles and job fit, you’ll be well on your way to finding your perfect new team member.

Conclusion

So there you have it, a quick primer on using job style to find the perfect new hires. Remember, the candidates with the right job style fit for your company culture and work environment will be the most engaged and productive.

Make job style a key part of your interview process and hiring criteria. Ask the right questions to determine if that eager candidate gelling so well in the interview will stay motivated doing the actual work. Use tools like Sesame to give you insights into job styles so you can make the best hiring decisions.

Finding the right style match will reward you with employees who thrive and plan to stick around for the long haul. Your company, team, and customers will thank you.