There is more than one version of the 5 C's online. The one this post uses comes from a longer list by the investor Alan Hall, who wrote about seven C's of hiring in Forbes in 2012. The five most people keep are: competent, capable, compatible, committed, and character. Competent means they can do the job today. Capable means they can grow into more. Compatible means they will work with the team and the site. Committed means they will stay. Character means they do what they say. Each C can become one line on a job order.
The five, in plain words
Competent. Can they do this job, now, without training? For a forklift order: a current card and recent hours on the same kind of truck.
Capable. Can they do more later? Matters for direct hire and temp-to-hire. Matters less for a two-week order.
Compatible. Will they fit the crew, the shift and the site? Nights, cold storage, a strict lead. Compatible is where many placements quietly fail.
Committed. Will they stay? For temp work, will they show up every day for the length of the order?
Character. Do they do what they say? Reliable, honest about their experience, straight about their availability.
Turn each C into a line on the order
The five C's are only useful if they are written down where the recruiter can check them. Here is one order, rewritten.
| C | Line on the job order |
|---|---|
| Competent | Must have: current forklift card, with the date. Twelve months on sit-down trucks. |
| Capable | Nice to have: willing to train on reach trucks for a longer assignment. |
| Compatible | Shift: nights, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Site: cold storage. Crew lead expects no phones on the floor. |
| Committed | Length: eight weeks, five days a week. Must confirm availability for all eight. |
| Character | Confirm two recent work references before submittal. |
Now a submittal can be read against the order line by line. Competent, proven. Compatible, agreed out loud. Committed, confirmed. The C's stop being a poster and start being a check.
Which C clients forget
Clients tell you competent. They assume character. They forget compatible. The shift, the site and the crew lead are in their head and not on the order. Ask: "What is the site like, and what did the last person struggle with?" The answer usually gives you the compatible line.
Where M-Tracker fits
Once the five lines are on the order, M-Tracker checks each submittal against them before the client sees it, and says in plain words which C's are proven and which are missing. The recruiter fixes the gap before it becomes a rejected candidate or a no-show.
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Questions people ask
Are the 5 C's the same as the 3 C's?
No. The 3 C's are a shorter version, usually competence, character and chemistry. Same idea, fewer lines.
Which version should my firm use?
Any one, as long as everyone uses the same one and it ends up on the order form.
Do the C's apply to temp orders?
Yes, with capable mattering less and committed mattering more.
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