So Your a Law Graduate? Weíve Got the Perfect Role for You: Managing a Rock Band

Heís a world-class ball player, but gets slotted into attack rather than defence, fails to meet expectations and gets written off - until heís rediscovered by a manager who recognises his true potential.

That will be the fate of thousands of school leavers and graduates this year - interviewed, impressing, and slotted into jobs they donít fit because may interviewers dig deep, but not in the right places.

Despite what they say, prospective first-time employees donít know what they want or what they can do: theyíve never worked before. They may study or graduate in a particular field, but itís their personality and attitude that dictates whether they can fit into a role, into a business - and progress, said Maidenhead-based Bridget Biggar, UK MD of Life Orientations Limited, one of the worldís most established staff and management testing and assessment organisations.

There are so many businesses chasing so few good people that when they come across somebody íimpressiveí, they want them on board. But what they can fail to spot is that theyíre impressive alright, but at something different than for which they have been employed. You donít have to read many business pages before you come across the ironic interview of the law graduate managing a rock band, or the íOí level failure running a massive and profitable business.

Because somebody is confident and can communicate what they want doesnít instantly mean theyíre right for the job for which theyíre being interviewed or vice versa. This calls for great bravery on the part of the interviewer.

Re-positioning of role offered - sideways or, say, into a fast-track for a higher ranking role - can release some startling talent and potential. But declining somebody who is too good or the wrong personality for a business can also generate an upside.

An impressive but sober-suited aspiring professional will not fit into a self-proclaimed work-hard-play-hard madhouse. Equally, a on-fire salesman may excite interviewers, but will be just too hot for a discreet, low-key business.

If somebodyís slotted into the wrong job, then before long thereís pressure from the new employer and resistance from the new employee because he or she is not doing the job they were appointed to do. But would Alex Ferguson banish a defensive player who starts to demonstrate a talent for going out of position and making or scoring goals? No, heíd re-position him and make sure he had all the support he needed to put the ball in the back of the oppositionís net.

Companies would be massively more productive if interviewers were more capable of recognising intervieweesí strengths rather than putting massive effort into forcing them to address their weaknesses.

People have underlying DNAs that only support certain types of behaviour - being forced to do something they donít want or like to do will generate nothing more than adequate delivery. People like to do what they are good at. It gives them motivation and enjoyment.

Many managers hire people for their strengths then spend the next few years trying to fix their weaknesses. The ífix your weaknessesí school believes that with enough discipline, determination and training anyone can do anything. But if somebody doesnít have the underlying DNA to support certain behaviours, they will never achieve anything better than adequate. Itís a much better idea to build on strengths, and find people to compensate for what top performers lack.

Bridget Biggar says that organisations should spend time identifying strengths and making sure they are put to work. More skill at building cross-functional teams chosen for their complementary behaviours as well as their skills and knowledge will guarantee effective and efficient performance.