The 3 C's of hiring come in a few versions. The one this post uses is competence, character and chemistry. Competence: can they do the job? Character: do they do what they say? Chemistry: will they work with this crew, on this shift, at this site? Clients tell you competence, assume character, and forget to tell you chemistry. That third C is where many placements fail.
The three, in 30 seconds
Competence. The skills and the proof. A current card, recent hours, a license that is not expired. This is what the job description is mostly about.
Character. Reliability and honesty. Shows up. Tells you the truth about availability. Says "I haven't done that" instead of nodding. This is what references are for.
Chemistry. Fit with the team, the shift, the site and the lead. Nights or days. Loud floor or quiet office. A crew lead who runs a tight shift. This is what nobody writes down.
The one the client forgets
Ask a client for an order and you get competence: forklift, two years, sit-down truck. Ask what went wrong with the last person and you get chemistry: "He couldn't handle the cold." "She clashed with the lead." "He kept wandering off the line."
Chemistry is the most common reason a competent placement falls off in week one. It is also the easiest to screen for, once it is on the order. Ask the client two questions. What is the site like? And who did this job well before, and why? Write the answers down as the chemistry line.
Three lines on the order
| C | What to write on the job order |
|---|---|
| Competence | Current forklift card with date. Twelve months on sit-down trucks. |
| Character | Two recent references confirmed. Availability confirmed for all eight weeks. |
| Chemistry | Nights. Cold storage. Lead runs a strict floor, no phones. Candidate has agreed to all three out loud. |
A submittal can now say, in its first three lines, how the candidate meets each C. The client reads it and does not have to guess.
Where M-Tracker fits
Once the three C's are on the order, M-Tracker reads each submittal against them before the client sees it and says, in plain words, which are proven and which are missing. The chemistry line, the one that usually gets skipped, gets checked every time.
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Questions people ask
What are the other versions of the 3 C's?
Some use capability, commitment and culture fit. Some use competence, commitment and compatibility. They cover the same ground. Pick one and put it on the order form.
Is chemistry the same as culture fit?
Close. On a staffing desk, chemistry is more concrete: this shift, this site, this lead. That makes it easier to screen for.
Can I screen for character in a phone call?
Partly. Ask for dates and numbers and listen for straight answers. Then confirm with references.
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