Hiring Candidates Who Are a (Supplementary) Fit

Do we truly want all our employees to be exactly alike?

’Fit’ has long been a pervasive buzzword in hiring. Yet few give it a precise definition or outline exactly how it enables team building and success.

In organizational psychology, fit can be defined in two ways, each leading to fundamentally different recruiting approaches. Complementary fit emphasizes replicating existing attributes, while supplementary fit focuses on assembling a set of diverse skills and perspectives. The latter is more akin to solving a puzzle.

When we talk about fit, we’re typically implicitly referring to complementary fit. Certainly, there are essential qualifications and attributes that hired candidates should have in common (i.e. work ethic, reliability, trustworthiness). But we might also be more intentional in deciding where team members need to differ.

Teams subscribe to the puzzle-like approach on some level. Each job role offers different responsibilities and attributes necessary for achieving collective goals. But, within job roles, we commonly seek near replicas of the same individual.  

Instead of this approach…

We might take a step back and ask: what variety of skills does each role demand? It often happens that people in their roles must switch hats. And it isn’t likely we can find one person, or type of person, who excels at all aspects of the job.

While we pause, we might also consider: within certain roles, where are the gaps in our existing workforce? We can consider what a certain role requires someone to do and which aspect of the role needs supplementing.

Reframing how we think about fit has implications for both talent acquisition and development: 

-Assessments and competency frameworks enable organizations to determine the particular requirements of certain roles and where their team is currently lacking.
-Structuring interviews around specific job requirements ensures hiring teams base decisions on what their teams need.
-Tailoring development initiatives, to meet people where they are, enables organizations to cultivate and enhance the different skill sets team members bring to the table.
-As a bonus, considering different individual strengths is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and effective team environment where members can excel using what they uniquely bring to their job.