How Culture Index is helping us increase our staff by 30%

We’re in the process of increasing our staff by over 30%. We’re looking for engineers, account executives and customer service people. If you, or someone you know, might be interested, please let us know!

David Hollingsworth, T.J. Sauder and I have been involved in rapidly growing companies in the past. Haphazard hiring is a good way to destroy a company’s culture in a hurry. And so far, we’ve been meticulous about hiring people who really understand what it means to deliver great customer service.

So our current hiring plans are challenging and a bit scary! We’re trying to make sure we hire the right people for the right job.

One thing we’ve done is subscribe to a service called the Culture Index

The Culture Index process allows us to quickly assess (through a seven-minute survey) how an individual is actually wired for a job. For instance, are they comfortable with multitasking? Or do they prefer to carry out tasks sequentially and methodically?

We profiled everyone at Avid and the results rang true.

For instance, my profile is called “The Architect.”

“Architects” are self-reliant people who have a broad understanding of events and potential outcomes, but may devote themselves to detail to ensure the desired outcome. They are curious problem solvers more interested in dealing with data rather than people. They are factual and don’t shy away from confrontation.

And that’s all I’m going to say, because not all of it is nice! But the overall profile is quite accurate. (And by the way, it is a good match for the requirements of my position, so I guess I get to keep my job.)

Our job applicants fill out the Culture Index survey that results in a detailed profile. It’s scored against the ideal profile we’ve created for each job we have available. The percentage match from 0% to 100% is shown for each applicant.

The Culture Index is just one culture fit tool that we use. But it’s an important one.

Why hire a natural introvert for a job that really requires an extrovert? Why hire a natural nonconformist for a position that requires attention to detail and accurately following rules and procedures?

Applicants for our openings can follow this link to submit their resume and take the Culture Index. Remember that with the Culture Index, there are no right or wrong answers. It’s not a measure of whether someone is a good or a bad person. It simply gives us a picture of whether someone’s fundamental personality traits are a good fit for a particular job.

Have you used Culture Index before as part of your hiring process? If so, we would love to hear about your experience.