Example Of How We Use Motivational Maps In Recruitment
Fred is the manager of a not for profit organisation and he is recruiting for a Head of Evaluation role. It is a new role which involves a lot of data management but also setting up new systems and processes.
Overall comments
It is very interesting that, without exception, all 5 candidates top two motivators are Searcher (Seeks meaning, making a difference, providing worthwhile things) and Expert (Seeks expertise, mastery and specialism).
This means that they will all need to know how what they are doing fits in with the wider organisational goals and how they are making a difference. They are all motivated by learning and developing new skills.
If Fred is planning for this post holder in time, to manage the team, it would be interesting to ask all candidates the following questions as none of them has a high Director motivator.
Q Do you enjoy managing staff?
Q How would you describe your management style?
Q Can you give us an example of how you have managed any difficult relationships or problems you have faced within work
Q How do you like to be managed?
* Not having a high Director does not mean that they aren’t good at managing staff, it just means that they are not motivated by taking charge.
Asking why candidates are looking for a new role often correlates with their motivators.
Luis and Natalie Both are Creators. How long have they stayed in previous roles – they will bring new thinking – do they get bored? They will enjoy being challenged
Hannah and Emma P both have stronger Defender motivators (Seeks security, predictability and stability) – Defenders enjoy routine, repetitive task and bring a balance to those with a high Spirit, Creator in the team They are the ones saying, hold on a minute, before we do x have we thought of y! The opposite side of this is that they may prefer to be in a role which has a high level of routine although I don’t think that would be an issue with these candidates due to their other motivators.
Natalie, Hannah and Emma L (to a lesser degree) all have high Spirit motivators (Seeks freedom, independence, making own decisions) – this means that instead of being told what to do, when to do it and how to do it, they will enjoy being given a task and left to get on with it so would probably work well with you Paul.
Questions for individual candidates
Emma L
- Your Motivational Map report shows you enjoy developing relationships at work. Is this right?
- How does/would you maintain a good balance between developing good relationships in a small team and being able to ensure effective management of the team?
- Whilst being in control isn’t one of your top motivators, how would you feel if you were asked to take on the management of a small team?
- Your Motivational Map report shows you enjoy problem-solving, having freedom and independence to get on a with a role but also having structure. Do you think this is a good indication of how you work?
Hannah S
- Whilst being in control isn’t one of your top motivators, how would you feel if you were asked to take on the management of a small team?
- Your motivators show you enjoy working alone (Seeks freedom, independence, making own decisions). What role do you adopt when working within a team?
- Your Motivational Map report shows you enjoy routine and are likely to be well organised and like to have clear information on what is expected. How do you work with people who may not work in the same way.?
- Have you worked within a small team where you are required to cover other peoples roles or take on additional tasks
Luis Luis is the only candidate who is motivated by being in control (Director – Seeks power, influence, control of people and/or resources). They would be the one most likely to enjoy managing a team.
- What parts of this role appeal to you the most? (I imagine it may be the fact that it’s a new role with the opportunity to develop it)
- Can you give us an example of how you have used your problem-solving skills to add value to the work you have done?
Natalie
Natalie has a low STAR (Seeks recognition, respect and social esteem) so may well struggle with selling herself at the interview so I would allow for that and push her to talk about her achievements. She has a very low Defender so is likely not to enjoy routine and repetitive tasks.
- Your Motivational Map report shows you enjoy problem-solving, having freedom and independence to get on a with a role. Do you think this is a good indication of how you work?
- How do you organise yourself?
- How do you manage routine and repetitive tasks
Emma P
With Emma’s high Creator and high Defender it is likely she is motivated by coming up with good new systems and procedures for resolving problems.
- Your Motivational Map report shows you enjoy problem-solving and coming up with new systems and procedures to get on a with a role. Do you think this is a good indication of how you work? Can you give us an example of this?