Spot the Iceberg in advance

Rajendra P and Sidarth R ; XLRI, Jamshedpur

A severe problem facing any corporate entity today is the issue of retaining and attracting human resource. These resources that were stable in the past are the most mobile and fickle today. Not only is turnover a problem but so is getting the right people to match the requirements and roles. There is a great need for B-Schools to hasten and usher in changes to satisfy the growing needs and requirements of the environment.

One aspect of resourcing is campus placements and this is one place where companies would like their results to be the best. Most of the companies have realised that it is better to spend a few extra hours at the time of selection, rather than to select the wrong candidate and later spend fortunes in training, retention strategies etc. Students too have become conscious about the career choice, spending a lot of time in deciding about their future job. The importance of attracting and retaining talent from the B-Schools was evident by the high number of students doing their summer projects related to this. The results of these studies were almost often suggesting that except a few candidates most choose careers due to the salary consideration or job profile. The first factor of salary is internal to every organisation but the other factors like functional preference and role fit are something that can be addressed. Even though candidates make efforts to get a job suiting their perceived profile, there is still disillusionment and disappointment due to improper assessment.

A very important aspect that seems to be ignored by B-schools is the implementation of career theories and instruments at the academic level. Career development and planning is a vast subject on its own. Many researchers have contributed to it and it is now a scientific and reliable field of study. There has been a lot of valuable research done on the link between competencies, personalities and environments. Some of the instruments used, for e.g. Holland’s Inventories, can help identify where a candidate’s basic orientation and competency lies, what are his personality traits, etc. Some of these instruments are so popular that the US Govt (even NASA) uses it for its intake. It is a common sight at B-Schools to find companies fighting over candidates they consider good. Most of them use grades as a benchmark or use it majorly in the final analysis for selection. Most of the other tools used during placements are calibrated to reveal as deeply as possible about the individual. They try to tap and discover the deeper aspects of a person’s iceberg. The classic iceberg model describes how just the skills and knowledge are visible or can be easily assessed. As we go deeper, we have the attitudes, traits, values and motives which figuratively speaking are below the water and very difficult to assess. What the companies look for or should do so ideally is for a match between the deeper characteristics of the candidate and its own desired set. It is said - Profile the attitude and not the person. Psychological tests help in revealing these but are conducted only at the time of placements hence used as a selection tool. There is nothing that the candidate can do to correct the situation if he turns out to be a misfit later. There is a need for the whole process to be done either at the entry level or at the stage where the candidate is about to choose his specialisation, at the end of first year perhaps. This will help not only in segmenting the number of students interested and oriented towards each area of specialisation but also gives a clear idea of where the candidate’s strength lies and where he can thrive. The motive in implementation should be developmental.

The career development and planing tools will not only help students discover what kind of role or environment they would operate at maximum efficiency and satisfaction but also which specific function to take. Holland inventory SDS is the simplest and most well researched. This gives out a three-letter code for each individual that helps in understanding the vocational and personality orientation. It can also be utilised to study various aspects like how stable the candidate will be to a particular vocation, how much does he identify with the jobs or its features, etc. Based on Holland’s theory, there is an occupational code book - Dictionary of titles (DOT) describing the jobs/roles for every code. Matching ones code with those in the book will help find out the most suitable vocation and role for the student. The US government has approved this book and uses it for its selection. The competencies that are revealed are as much if not more reliable and effective than an hour’s session of group discussion and interview. This is just an example of how one inventory can be used. Imagine the self-knowledge and focus a battery of such tools would provide to the students. Not only would companies be looking at candidates who have gathered an educated map of the career, roles one wants to take up but also the preference list of work environments. The companies should also come abreast with what is the work culture, roles, etc it offers, thereby providing further details for an informed decision to be taken. If need be, there could also be a provision for the students to reveal the scores to the firms as well. This kind of information sharing from both parties will help in drastically increasing retention rates, reduce job losses on campuses and provide better role fits. If the B-Schools usher in such similar changes, the results can be very tangible and extremely beneficial to all concerned. It will be a definitive win-win situation.