Applying Triple Fit Theory for talent hunting

In an increasingly competitive world, human resources has become a crucial factor. It is the only resource that has a vital role in ensuring dynamism and vitality. As the typical HR managers say, the right person at the right job, with the correct targets in the right environment will produce the right results within the right time. 

As an HR manager, you are applying TFT for selecting the right candidate for the right job. They are Task-Talent (T-T) fit, Person-Position (PP) fit and Individual and Institution (I-I) 

Now let us discuss in detail.

Task-Talent (T-T) fit 
This is the first fit that a recruiter would look into. It stands for matching tasks with talent. Any key task requires specific talent(s). Take a sales job for example. Tasks associated with meeting customers require the talent of good communication. 

Talent is now more often used as a bundled word for knowledge, attitude and skills. There is a gap between the required talent and raw talent. The market is abundant with raw talent, especially with graduates. 

Are they geared to a demanding job in a target-driven environment? Sadly, the answer is no. We teach complex subject matter, but not how to gain confidence. Job-orientation in the academic courses has been recognised as important only of late. 

That is the way to overcome the talent drought. Screening of applicants using curriculum vitae (CV) is one key action in this respect. Effective screening of applicants using CVs is considered to lead to effective selection.

Person-Position (P-P) Fit
What I mean here is the fit between the person and the position. In fact, it goes beyond the talent level. Overall fit with regards to the personality of the individual and the key expectation of the position he/she is supposed to hold. 

There are a variety of ways of looking at personality. It is the combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioural response patterns of an individual. It is a journey of adaptation, doing constant interaction with the surroundings.

Different personalities suit different positions. An outgoing, talkative and a friendly person would be more suited for a sales position, whereas a quiet, thinking and analytical person would be better in handling a laboratory position.

Key challenges for HR practitioners is to determine what type of a personality is associated with a candidate, and also what type of a personality is ideally required for a specific position. Well-developed tools associated with psychometric testing can be very handy in this context.

Individual-Institution (I-I) Fit
The final fit is between the individual and the institution. Essentially it refers to the fit between the prospective candidate and the 'surroundings.' It can be the culture, climate or the overall style of management. 

What is important here is the need of prospective candidates to appreciate the institutional culture. What one can do in a multinational corporation might not be possible in a family-owned business. 

The same gulf exists between private and public sectors. I have seen people who opted to work in non-governmental charity organisations have a higher sense of humanity with committed service in mind. It might be the same with a brilliant management trainee joining a rapidly expanding global network. The obvious sign is the need to ensure individual-institutional match. 

Illustration: TBS

Needless to say, a properly designed assessment centre can be one solid way to apply TFT for talent hunting. It typically employs a variety of techniques and multiple observers in a closed setting to evaluate candidates. The key challenge is to design the centre to cover all three matches. 

Task-Talent (T-T) match is the easiest to assess, provided you identify what talent is exactly required by the task. A process where candidates are given a set of questions to answer, situations to analyse or activities to perform would give a clear idea about where the candidate would stand. 

Person-Position (P-P) match can be done by a more in-depth analysis using personality-type. One challenge is to clearly identify what type of personality is required for the position. A sad local scene is that companies are heavily investing on psychometric testing, without getting the best use of the results obtained.

Individual-Institution (I-I) matches can be found by a good set of interview questions that would assess the attitude of candidates. Particularly referring to 'what-if' scenarios show-casing organisations' real issues would be a smart move. A case study analysis can also be handy to find the right fit. 

The modern HR management always starts with the competitive recruitment and selection process. The organisation builds the competitive advantage with its employees. 

Recruitment and selection process is one of the basic functions of an HR manager. Recruitment and selection process must be simple and strong enough to operate excellently to select the best human resource from the job market. 

The recruiters have to utilise the recruitment sources, and HR managers have to make the right and quick decisions for talent hunting as per organisational policy.    

Professor Dr Md Abu Taher is a Member, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh and Director, Board of Directors, Jibon Bima Corporation, Dhaka

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.