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Section 11
Implications for Employment Hiring Decisions (Part 2)

Question 11 | Test | Table of Contents

In the last section we discussed the first three of the six reasons your client may be hired or not hired from a prospective job. These three reasons we discussed were presentation, ability, and dependability.

In this section we will continue our discussion of the six reasons your client can be hired or screened out from a prospective job. We will focus on the last three which are motivation, attitude, and network. If you recall these reasons spell out the acronym PADMAN.

If you recall from the last section, Chad was looking to change careers after he was down sized from his job as an assembly line tire builder. He was focusing on getting a job in car sales due to his hobby in this area since high school.

4. Motivation
I have found, when looking at potential employees, employers are often looking at how my clients take initiative, going above and beyond, and being ambitious. But more than that, they are looking at how these traits can be used to help them achieve their goals. This encompasses researching the company and understanding their overall goals.

Have you found like I it is important that your client shows their interviewer that they understand the job they are interviewing for? The main question the employer will probably be thinking about to assess motivation is "Will his or her actions and goals promote my company and its goals?" Often, this is the most difficult for clients to get into their mindset, because it is natural to focus on their own goals or what your client thinks the goals of the interviewer or companyshould be.

I stated to Chad that in order to assess the specific motivation of the company or companies in which he is interested, he should look at the following five resources:
1. review the company’s website and their mission statement
2. talk with staff and customers
3. search the Internet
4. contact the company’s HR department
5. get in contact with the manager to hear his or her goals and mission for the company

5. Attitude
To explain what employers are looking for when it comes to attitude, I discuss with my clients that employers are not just looking for people that are respectful and friendly but for people that fit in. This means that his or her attitude fits in with the company’s culture. This can mean different things for different companies. Some may value someone that is fun and creative while others would appreciate someone who is more down-to-earth and socially responsible. The questions the employer will be asking themselves will be: do I want to work with you? And will you fit into my company culture?

Chad then asked me, "How do I know the type of attitude the company is looking for?"

I then stated to Chad, "First of all, it is important to show the employer your outlook on work. They will probably ask you questions about stressful work scenarios to see how you react. These stressful situations may create fear that can express itself through anger, desperation, depression, and so on. Expressing a positive attitude may make the employer more willing to overlook other weaknesses because if a person has a right attitude then the employer can teach the skills you need."

While different employers might be looking for different attitudes, here are eight of the top attitudes that I have found that most employers look for. I shared these eight attitudes with Chad:
1. positive confidence
2. strong work ethic
3. willingness to do extra and stay until the job is done
4. flexibility and the willingness to cope with change
5. genuine interest in the industry, company, or work (employers can see this interest by what you do or learn in your free time. Additionally, you can show interest in the company by showing your knowledge about it and willingness to do the extra.)
6. the ability to show respect and get along with others
7. willingness to do what is asked of you (even if it is not "your job")
8. commitment to continuous improvement
Chad and I then walked through each of these attitude traits and discussed specific behaviors that demonstrate these attitudes.

6. Network
We have discussed additional information about creating a professional online presence in previous sections. Some employers want to know whether your client’s network of contacts can benefit their company, for example, investors, customers, and business allies or whether his or her network could create concern for the company. I discuss with my clients who are searching for a new job that their network includes their professional network- companies they have worked for and business connections they have- and their personal network. Have you found, like I, that one way for employers to see your client’s personal network is to look online? Do you need to allocate part of your next session to discussing and analyzing your Chad’s network from a prospective employer’s point of view?

To help Chad with his network, I encouraged him to look at his online presence. I stated to Chad, "It is important to try and separate your personal and professional lives." Here are three steps I went over with Chad to establish a good online presence:
1. Control who has access to your online information through online social media sites.
2. Suggest to your client that they evaluate the privacy setting on their social media accounts containing information that might be detrimental to getting hired.
3. Create an online identity that shows potential employers how you can benefit their company. You can do this by creating a name that highlights a skill, interest, or quality that is important for employers or use your formal name. Make sure each posting promotes you to a potential employer. Join groups that connect you to companies or job fields you are interested in. Your photo should be a headshot with a pleasant expression.

To help Chad with his network, I encouraged him to look for connections he has with companies he is interested in or who he might be interested in knowing. Chad mentioned his two friends that suggested to him to go into auto sales. He told me, "They are two people that are hard workers in the field and they both work for well-known car companies."

In this section we continued our discussion of the six reasons your client can be hired or screened out from a prospective job. We focused on the last three reasons which are motivation, attitude, and network.

Regarding motivation, it may be helpful for your client to use one or more of the following resources to gain a better understanding of the company’s motivation: review the company’s website and their mission statement, talk with staff and customers, search the Internet, contact the company’s HR department, and get in contact with the manager to hear his or her goals and mission for the company.

Regarding attitude, I share with my clients the following eight attitudes that are universal attitudes employers will probably be looking for: positive confidence; strong work ethic; willingness to do the extra and stay until the job is done; flexibility and the willingness to cope with change; genuine interest in the industry, company, or work; the ability to show respect and get along with others; willingness to do what is asked of you; and commitment to continuous improvement.

Regarding network, the three steps you can go over with your client to establish a good online presence are control who has access to your online information; don’t connect with potential employers if the site contains information that might be detrimental to them hiring you; and create an online identity that shows potential employers how you can benefit their company.

In the next section we will discuss how your client can prove to a potential employer that they are the best candidate for the job by using selling points.

MacDougall 35- 44
Reviewed 2023

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article References:
Huang, L., Frideger, M., & Pearce, J. L. (2013). Political skill: Explaining the effects of nonnative accent on managerial hiring and entrepreneurial investment decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(6), 1005–1017.

Landay, K., & DeArmond, S. (2018). Recruitment process outsourcing and recruiter and hiring firm characteristics: A two study investigation. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 17(4), 183–192.

Nadler, J. T., & Kufahl, K. M. (2014). Marital status, gender, and sexual orientation: Implications for employment hiring decisions. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(3), 270–278. 

Reynolds, T., Zhu, L., Aquino, K., & Strejcek, B. (2021). Dual pathways to bias: Evaluators’ ideology and ressentiment independently predict racial discrimination in hiring contexts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(4), 624–641.

Skandrani-Marzouki, I., & Marzouki, Y. (2010). Subliminal emotional priming and decision making in a simulated hiring situation. Swiss Journal of Psychology / Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Psychologie / Revue Suisse de Psychologie, 69(4), 213–219.

Voss, N. M., & Lake, C. J. (2021). Let me think about this: Factors associated with deliberative decision making within hiring contexts. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 24(1), 1–22.

QUESTION 11
What are the three steps you can discuss with your client to establish a good online presence? To select and enter your answer go to Test.

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