In any employment situation, cultural fit is critical. We often focus on this fact when hiring a permanent employee, but the reality is that work culture matters in even the shortest of temporary assignments.

First of all, what does “cultural fit” mean?  Cultural fit is a combination of motivators, work method, values, and personality. It is a connection between the employee and employer and work environment which contributes heavily to being happy and successful in any position.

Why does it matter? It matters because we are human – we want to thrive and make a difference. We want work to be satisfying and yes, make us look forward to doing it.

How we all approach these human goals is unique to our motivators, work methods, values and personality.

Let’s see some examples:

Company A is made up of hard driving, win at all costs, and the more work hours the better sort of place. Employees are recognized and rewarded for the inroads they make to beat the other guy, internally and externally. Every month/quarter/year is a chase for the big sale or the big innovation. Individual accomplishment and work environment is important to employer and employees alike.

Motivators – The Win individually first, then The Win for the team

Work Methods – Long and hard. Fast and furious.

Values – Recognition as an individual first, then as a team member

Personality – Alpha and confident, thrive on pressure

Company B is made up of hard driving, win at all costs, and work hours are many but not stressed sort of place. Employees are recognized and rewarded for the inroads they make to beat the other guy – but mostly externally. Every month/quarter/year is a chase for the big sale or the big innovation. Collaborative accomplishment and work environment is important to employer and employee alike. Individual accomplishments are also highly sought.

Motivators – The Win for the team

Work Methods – Collaborative/Individual hybrid

Values – Team relationship is a valuable part of the work process

Personality – Confident and has a strong desire for input and feedback.

Company C is a hyper-flexible and intellectually scrappy start up. It is risky in nature because of its life stage. Employees work within and across departments due to necessity and this makes for an extremely collaborative environment. Any losses or missteps are very visible, but so are the wins. High satisfaction is realized because an employee makes a visible difference directly each month/quarter/year.

Motivators – Making a positive difference every day will achieve The Win

Work Methods – Very team collaboration oriented. Very fast and nimble.

Values – Recognition for team wins, individual contribution is secondary.  Work relationships very important

Personality – Entrepreneurial, enjoys the risk/reward ratio

Now for some food for thought:

1. Choose the example which most closely matches your current organization.
2. Now circle back to the short to mid-term staffing requirement.
3. Place a technically strong, resume validated candidate into a company that conflicts with the cultural definitions of the human represented in said resume.
4. Will the result be optimal for either side of the placement?

The outcome is assured to be conflicted at best. Co-workers, Managers, and the Contractor will struggle to understand how to do business well. Communication within each of these 3 scenarios is quite different. Unspoken expectations are quite different. How challenges and successes are handles and communicated are quite different.

All of these are affect optimal success because… employers and contractors are Human.

Let us align motivators, work methods, values, and personality and watch your contracting program thrive.

Sheri Tate is the Director of Marketing at Amick Brown

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When my bosses told me that I was getting trained to become a Recruiter, my heart started racing and the feeling of panic started to sink in. All these questions were floating in my head, where do I begin? Is there a cheat sheet to becoming a recruiter? How do I learn about all of this technology? I have to talk to strangers? In other words, I had no idea of what I was getting myself into or what I was going to do.

Moving forward a year later, I found that recruiting is not as difficult as it seemed to be, it’s actually enjoyable. If you are willing to learn and are ready to put in the hard work, then you are on your way to becoming a successful recruiter. Yes, it is challenging at first because you are talking to complete strangers and trying to convince them about the job offer you have. But, it’s all worth it in the end knowing that you are actually making a difference in someone’s life.

In the IT industry, finding the right fit candidate is one of the biggest hurdles when recruiting in this specific field. There are tons of positions available, but not a large enough pool of candidates to choose from. This goes against the norm of our society in which finding the right kind of job is also an issue for people outside of the IT world. Regardless, getting that call from a recruiter is just exactly what you are waiting for. There are recruiters out there who truly enjoy their work and there are others who are doing it for the paycheck. Needless to say, we can all tell the difference between the two.  Of course, it is true, that the job provides a huge opportunity to earn a good amount of incentive when your candidates gets placed, but you have to work really hard to get to that point. If you have sales skills and can provide excellent customer service, then that is something you can apply to recruiting. Who knows that may even earn you a spot at the top one of these days. Perhaps, you may even own a recruiting business in the future.

Here are five pointers that will help you, if you are just starting out as a recruiter.

1. It’s basically match making – you take the requirement that the job position has and match it with the qualifications of the candidate. If it doesn’t match, let them know that you will contact them when there is a more suitable job offer that matches their skills.
2. Time management and organization is a must – When you are recruiting for a job, it is very important to manage everything that needs to be done within the stipulated time period. Not only that, you must have everything organized, documents, contact information, etc. You are most likely going to be working with people in different time zones. So, you must be mindful of their time when you set up a call. It helps to be prepared, that’s when organization comes in.
3. There is no “I” in TEAM – you will have to be a team member all throughout the entire process. As a recruiter, you are not only working with your immediate co-workers, you are also working with numbers of people out there. It could be your clients’, candidates’ employers or the candidates themselves. Different people, mean different styles and personalities. So, having the ability to work in a team will make your job easier.
4. Communication is key – I can’t emphasize enough how important communication is in the recruiting world. So many things can go wrong, if you don’t hone in on your communication skills. Heck, it may even be the reason why you lose a candidate to the next recruiter. Having the right communication skills is the key to building a relationship with others in the market. It is by far one of the most important factors in business of any kind, in this case, recruiting.
5. Be tech savvy – there are many aspects of recruiting that requires you to use technology. Therefore, it is important that you know how to make use of computer technology. There are job boards, database systems, and networking tools that you will have to use when recruiting. So, if you aren’t tech savvy, then it will be difficult for you to keep up with the job requirements.

I’ve only listed out 5 pointers, but there are far more beyond than what I have written. Some skills are meant to be learned as you get yourself situated in your recruiting position. No matter how much research or studying we do for a position, nothing beats learning from doing the actual job. Keep in mind that staying positive and working hard has no alternatives, there’s no shortcut to get to the top.

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Just over five years ago, with four of my long-time colleagues, we started an IT consulting firm specializing in SAP and Business Intelligence.  Together we had led teams that designed and built an integrated BI solution for AT&T’s SAP implementation before being outsourced to a large consulting firm.  Over a 10 year period, we had developed and supported a system that served and was secured to hundreds of thousands of people.  This was no easy task and we learned a great deal along the way as building anything that serves a population that large with the varying security and usability requirements that go with it requires an enormous effort on many levels.  We knew and still know….that we have unique experience that other companies implementing large SAP BI solutions would benefit from.

So we left the large consulting firm and created Amick Brown – a certified small business, woman-owned business and minority-owned business.

We decided we would try to expand our business in the government sector.  The government has small business programs and set-asides for small business.  It is a lot of work to respond to a Request for Proposal with the government, but each time we respond we get better at representing what we have done and what we can do.  We are achieving success, but we are still sometimes questioned about our “bench strength” – in other words, the number of consultants we have employed. 

Because we have been the big company client and we have also been one of the big box resource providers as well, we have a perspective on bench strength that some others may not.

While many big companies or government agencies may feel that bench strength is an indicator of a company’s ability to provide resources when needed, what they really need to know is – can a company provide the specific expertise needed for their unique situation.  In order to truly gain the outcome desired from any new project, the specific expertise or experience of each consultant should be the focus. 

All consulting firms, big and small respond to the unique requirements of a company or agency similarly.  They determine the specific expertise and experience that is required, they look at their available resource pool to determine if that expertise is there and available, and if not they begin their search for that expertise in the market.  The resource pools of big and small consulting firms alike are also very similar in makeup – the respective pools invariably contain partner consultants as well as employees.

So – is bench strength really meaningful?  I say no.  A firm’s ability to evaluate and understand the project requirements and challenges, determine the expertise and experience required and then to identify the most qualified candidates to successfully respond is key.  As well, the firm should be vested in the long term success of their client.

A question we often get is “is your consultant an employee”?  Again I believe the question should be – who is the best candidate for the position?  We have found that the very best and most experienced consultants may be interested in coming on board to work on a project, but aren’t necessarily interested in changing “employment”.

There are numerous reasons why a consultant may not want or be able to be hired as an employee. Perhaps they are tied to their current company through an H1B visa, or personal relationship. It may be due to wanting the freedom to grow at the pace which they prefer.  It might even be about not wanting to lose accrued vacation at their current company.  If all federal and state requirements regarding payroll and payroll taxes are being adhered to, and if insurance and contracts are in place – does it really matter?

For every engagement, we assemble a team of the best experts with the most relevant experience for the unique requirements presented.  We hire consultants as permanent employees when it makes sense for all and subcontract when it does not.  Regardless of employee or subcontractor designation, the placement is done only after thorough cultural matching and a vested commitment to long term success.

Over the past 15+ years, we have worked with  many consultants and small business consulting companies.  We continue our relationships with only the best and through those relationships we are introduced to others of the same caliber.  For each consulting partner we ensure agreements are in place, insurance verified, and background checks done, and for those we are new to, full due diligence is completed. We work with only the verified best consultants and have developed long standing relationships for the ongoing success of all.  We provide a team that can rival any big box organization.

A consolidated bench of consultants with the specific expertise required is what will provide a successful project team – regardless of where the individual consultants come from.

The reality is that the big box firms call smaller consulting firms on a regular basis to provide the expertise they need for their client projects.

After all, it really is all about gathering the best people to tackle the project.

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The Importance of Cultural Due Diligence

We have all been there. You are a few months in to a new job and something is just not perfect. The work itself is on target, challenging, fulfilling, and not too many surprises. Your colleagues are professional and friendly, but you are floundering around still to find your comfort zone. It is likely that cultural fit is imbalanced between you and your new company.

In the fairly recent past, corporate culture has evolved from the scenario of if you were in business the dark suit went on in the morning, arrived at your cubicle, and preserved the time-honored tradition of being a staunch professional. Now, companies take on all sorts of personalities, expectations, and cultures which range from the still staunch professionals in dark suits and cubicles to bean bags, mandatory relaxation breaks, and shorts/jeans/tshirts as office attire.

The bottom line is that they are all correct! How a company excels in business is driven by their beliefs and success stories. It has become a critical step to not only evaluate skill requirements, but also intimately understand the cultural aspect of a new business.

Organizational culture evolves over time based on attitudes, customs and values that make up a company’s unique social and psychological environment. An organization’s culture touches all aspects of the business and it is expressed in its products, the way it interacts with it employees, customers and the rest of the world. Certainly, it will impact the new employee directly. The subtleties of culture are definitely something that can be sought out and matched to candidates with due diligence.

What is a fit for one candidate may not be suitable for another. You can teach an employee new skills but is hard to train for cultural fit if they don’t fit the mold. When there is a cultural fit, the person will naturally perform consistent with how things are done in an organization. It results in employees being engaged and focused on growth and the organization reaps the benefits. As well, the employee reaps the benefit of loving their job, not only for the skill and professional challenge, but because it is where they thrive psychologically. The opposite is true when there is a cultural mismatch. Studies show that cultural fit positively impacts performance, ability to adopt to changes and retention.

The same principles apply to staff augmentation decisions. It is exceptionally successful to take the culture fit analysis step when hiring contractors. At Amick Brown, we have built our successes on the practice of not only understanding our clients’ cultures, but staying involved after the placement with both the company and the contractor. Ongoing team building puts everyone in a position of positive communication and therefore reduces churn.

Amick Brown’s IT sourcing strategy in recruiting and staffing projects is to ensure that, apart from technical skills, there is a cultural fit both for the customer and the consultant. Our proprietary methodology incorporates thoroughly understanding the client’s cultural personality. We take into consideration the leadership and the communication style of the client’s team. At times the role that we are staffing might need a heavier emphasis on technical skills vs cultural fit. We are realistic about both the positive and negative aspects of the culture and balance our recruiting strategy for each client. We are aware of the need to strike a balance between technical and cultural fit in IT recruiting. We are proud to say that this has helped us to achieve more than 95% consultant retention with our clients. Cultural due diligence in hiring and staff augmentation makes a big difference!

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