Hiring job developers is probably one of the most important decisions an employment outcomes organization can make. This role makes or breaks your ability to produce employment outcomes. 

Some of the things we have learned about hiring good job developers are: 

1. No matter how experienced or inexperienced a job developer is, you need a clear training program as soon as possible when they start to ensure they are doing job development the way you want it done. If you do not do this they will use trial and error or experience to design their job development role. Both are hard to get job developers to change, once established, if these strategies do not work or if the placement requirements shift significantly.
2. Job developers that have to use trial and error, basically thrown into the field to learn their job, take up to 18 months to achieve proficiency, if they last that long. Job developers who are trained take under 3 months if you hire the right people.
3. As much as I would like it to not be true, training cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Training always benefits but benefits the most when the underlying strengths are there.

Some behavioral indicators we use to see the job developer’s potential: 

1. Within the probationary period, have the job developer (employee) do employer cold calls. If they resist, are reluctant or are unable to grow, this is a bad sign for the future. Most job development is based on being able to cold call employers.
2. Review early in the job developer’s tenure the job developer’s interactions with employers. See if they can accept it is themselves that cause success or failure and that they do not put the blame on others.
3. Check the time spent with getting to know candidates and getting to know employers. More time should be spent with employers.

Hiring is not an exact science and our experience with hiring good job developers is not meant to represent perfection. These are tips and are meant only to provide ideas. Hiring must always be solely your decision.  
 

Evolution Group in Ontario, Canada is doing important work on being able to identify job developer characteristics and assist organizations to hire the right people. See an outline of this work next.  
 

Hiring “Right” the First Time!

Employment service organizations find it challenging to hire the “right” Job Developers. Candidates appear suitable during the interview, but end up performing poorly on the job. For an employment organization, hiring good job developers can be crucial to their existence.

Employment organizations need to maximize their job developer selection success.

While candidates are often hired for their perceived skill and technical competency, their performance is what counts. We believe no training program or motivational system can make up for hiring the wrong person who is unable to exercise successfully their attributes as a job developer. 

How can you increase your probability of hiring the “right” person for the job? 

35 years of academic research has proven that personality and behaviour are absolutely the most significant predictors of success on the job. Testing for specific needed personality attributes can help you achieve your goal of hiring “right” the first time. 

The Winslow Job Development Assessment is your solution 

DTG/EMP suggests a solution to look at is the Winslow Personality Assessment provided through Evolution Group Inc., a Canadian distributor of the Winslow Assessment. Evolution Group has customized an assessment specific to job developers for employment organizations. This assessment identifies the personality traits required to be a successful job developer to assist youto screen in or out potential candidates. With this information, you make your final selection based on the candidate’s probability for success and your own hiring acumen.  
 

Winslow Assessments provides objective analysis that allows you to: 

• Hire excellent available applicants for any position in your organization
• Place employees where they will be most productive and contented
• Increase employee satisfaction because they are in a job that suits them
• Reduce turnover and employee anxiety
• Optimize productivity

"Behavioral assessment testing is the most objective, economical way of obtaining necessary information for predicting an applicant’s probability of success in any position." 
-Dr. Denis Waitley