“ I don’t like to be taken for a ride”
“This job sucks”
“I have floated my resume”
“Looking for a change of job..”
“Hey you hop jobs too often… get stable in life….”
Certain phrases, that you hear day in and day out. People float resumes on various job portals when they are looking for that ‘big break’ in their career.
So, let’s try to analyze the situation to a different level altogether. Let us try to understand from the psychosomatic level of the human mind, behavior, temperament, mental makeup, etc. There are very simple insights that might help every job recruiter, boss, or CEO to get the RIGHT PEOPLE for the RIGHT JOB.
In Ayurveda, as a physician, one needs to know about the person in greater detail. While history taking Ayurveda physicians are supposed to know what the person is suffering from and more over the person’s background and very important criteria of assessment- Prakriti- Mental and Physical constitution.
In Ayurveda, there are three bio humors – Vaata, Pitta, and Kapha. There are some simple explanations about the three:-
1. Vaata ( Predominated by Ether & Space) is responsible for movement, in nature or in our body. Vata brings mobility and circulation.
2. Pitta( Fire Element) is responsible for cooking, metabolism, and enzymatic processes.
3. Kapha’s ( Water & Earth elements) role is to give stability, integrity, and mass to the body.
The top-level consists of Policy Makers, thinkers, Owners, and people who need stability in thoughts and actions so a Kapha personality would suit this post. He would be happy to sit in one place and work.
The middle level demands implementers, people who are skilled administrators, troubleshooters, and people who control manpower, so a Pitta candidate is ideal for this post.
Lower Level management consists of direct selling, sales, marketing executives, workers, and people who are told about action and follow it. There is a demand for extensive traveling in and out of town, and the personalities of the Vaata constitution would be ideal to work here. They are the people who seek newer challenges, their high-intensity actions need to be supplemented with high physical work like traveling, manual labor, etc. it is at this level where people look out for options, and job-hopping is maximum.
So this grid teaches us a number of aspects. Let us see some situations:
A Kapha person is chosen for a direct selling job which demands a lot of travel, after a few sales calls the person would feel tired very easily and little by little he would feel the pressure as the higher-ups would demand action from him which he is very slow to do.
A Vaata person is sent to a job that demands stationary work, like a desk job, less entertainment, a job that would restrict his activity, he would feel tied up, would like to break free. His inner feeling would tell him to just run away and try something newer. He would get bored and finally would break up.
A Pitta personality to me is like a perfect match and a bridge between the Top-level and theLower level Management. They are ideal candidates to be shifted up the order or down the order, the killer instinct would make them successful. Their target-oriented quick-thinking mind would make them also at times dejected and looked down upon by peer groups and subordinates as this person would be too idealistic, dynamic, and mind it RUTHLESS….
So if a Kapha person goes down the order he is most likely not budge from his seat and a Vaata person would not like to sit in one place.
So now we have innumerable possibilities of how our own Personalities make us the kind of individuals we are. At this juncture, some suggestions to the HR department to follow to find out the kind of personalities and of course allot the right department.
1. Screen the resume for essential points like interests, and hobbies besides the regular indicators. Active participation in sports and interest in physical activity demonstrates that the person is of Vaata type and can be put in where there is a good amount of travel and going around. Hobbies like listening to ghazals would be very ideal for the people of Kapha. Rock music and hip hop are liked by more Pitta and Vaata individuals.
2. Appoint an independent person may be an Ayurvedic Doctor who would also screen the candidates by an interview that can give a fair amount of idea about the Prakriti of the individual. This process of screening can be opted out of after a detailed questionnaire that can be planned for the individual.
3. Stability: go through the dates/places where the individual has worked earlier. Find out the motive why he left his last job. If there were reasons that account for monotony then ideally Vaata person would opt out first because he needs constant activity to suit his demands.
4. Interaction: See how he interacts with other people who come for an interview. A Vaata person often talks a lot and is more friendly. A Kapha person would take his own sweet time to be friendly. He would be reluctant to get into any chatting right outside the interview area. A Vaata person would be uncomfortable and would move from one area to other, shaking his hand, and feet as though he is getting ready for a battle.
5. Give a situation and watch the response. A Vaata person would comprehend the problem quickly and reacts first. But too much of ideas in his mind would confuse him and then he tries to lead the discussion at times out of the main topic. A Kapha person would take his time to speak. He would put forth his views while keeping a long-term perspective. A Pitta person would analyze the situation and would come out with reasoning and judgment. Given pressure situations, a Vaata person throws up his arms very easily. A pitta person would fight his way out. A Kapha person would also be resilient but would find his way out in due course. Leadership skills would be very evident in Pitta’s personality. If they are given team-building exercises, the Pitta team leader would delegate the work very easily to his peer group and come out with flying colors.
Some tips after hiring employees:
1. Regular health checkups are a must in every organization. A healthy individual would contribute more to his organization and nation. Include physical activities like gyms and games in the priority lists. A Kapha individual would be a lazy bone. So activities need to be planned to make him interested in the group activity rather than the audience. Yoga and meditation are good for Vaata and Pitta personalities. A Kapha individual is still more relaxed and if given relaxation would make him go off to sleep. His energy can be channelized by activities like Tie Chi, Jogging, etc.
2. Nutrition to be the next priority. Invite canteen tenders who serve hygienic food on the Menu. Junk food would cause problems for all body types. A Kapha person would tend to be obese, a Vaata person would suffer from frequent IBS, and constipation and Acidity would be a regular excuse for Pitta individuals.
3. Maintain an ambiance suited for the various body types. A too much chilly environment makes the Vaata person and Kapha person sick.
4. Give the person sufficient time to be in his own zone. A Pitta person would not like anybody to foot into his zone. A Kapha person needs to be always motivated and pushed around to get into action. He is like an engine that takes some time to respond but would go miles once charged up. With Pitta & Vaata individuals, pushes and pokes need to be adjusted. Because of their jittery and arrogant nature, they might feel it offensive and might retaliate.
5. Stress is like the tension in the violin, too much would break the string and no tension would yield just noise. To create a good individual workforce, the team leader should allot the job as per the caliber of the individual. A Vaata person would jump in but later underdeliver. A Pitta person would look for perfection while a Kapha personality would like to take his sweet time to do the best way.
These are some of the interesting points that can be incorporated in an interview and also after the hiring process that would give a fair amount of indication about the individual to a very large extent. It is the responsibility of the HR Department to choose the right people for the right department because only then the situations of mass leave, absenteeism, and job attrition can be overcome with maintaining a better environment for the employees.
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