Author Sally Bibb on why strengths-based hiring is driving a shift in how organisations source talent
From Saga and Gap to Starbucks and many of the UK’s largest NHS trusts, strengths-based recruitment has gone from HR buzzword to a tried and trusted methodology, says Sally Bibb, founder and director of Engaging Minds. But what about the problems a focus on strengths can’t solve? Ahead of the launch of her new book, Strengths-Based Recruitment and Development, People Management caught up with Bibb to find out why she feels a shift from tradition is just around the corner.
How would you explain the process of strengths-based recruitment?
It’s the process of attracting, selecting and promoting people with the right innate strengths and motivators for the job. It’s about finding people who are a great fit for the role – who have the drive to do it, rather than just having the ability. From a neurobiological perspective, we know people reach this point by the age of 14 or 15. So if, for example, you’re not a person who loves to be in charge at 15, you’re not going to be made into someone who loves it, regardless of how much coaching or training you get.
What questions might a recruiter ask in a strengths-based interview?
At the moment, there are two approaches to strengths-based interviewing. The first is based on strengths profiling of high performers in the role in question. You analyse the people who are great at the job, in different circumstances, to find out what strengths, values and motivators they have in common, and build a profile from that.
In the second type of interview, the interviewer could ask questions like: ‘What do you enjoy doing?’ ‘What makes a good day for you?’ Here you are trying to assess the strengths of the person against the strengths you have decided you want. But it’s dangerous to decide what kind of people you would like more of, rather than discovering what top performers are actually like and finding more people like them.
How do you allow for diversity if you’re just hiring based on the strengths of others?
Hiring managers are jaded by traditional interviewing because all of the candidates look the same, and they can all learn how to pass a cognitive ability test. Strengths-based interviews don’t require a polished interview technique, so they can help improve the social mobility of new recruits. And because we’re looking for people strengths – for who this person really is, irrespective of age, gender, disability or education – many diversity and inclusion experts favour this technique.
Won’t it always come back to technical ability in the end?
Obviously it depends on the role. If you’re recruiting a nurse or a doctor, they need to have certain technical expertise or skills, the knowledge and experience. If you’re hiring for a role in a coffee shop or supermarket, the most important thing is that the candidate is the right kind of person. Employers can teach recruits the processes, but you can’t necessarily teach a barista how to best connect with customers, or give them the desire to do that for a living. It is a question of what you can and want to learn, and what you can’t and won’t.