In the Office: Hire for Attitude, Train for Aptitude

Let’s face it — you can’t do it on your own. No matter how much energy or talent you possess, after a certain point, in order to grow your business or your department, you need people. And, it’s impossible to manage people effectively without first hiring effectively.

You’ve probably heard the phrase coined by nutritionists, “You are what you eat.” Well, in HR we say, “You are who you hire.” True, isn’t it? It stands to reason then, if you hire employees from hell, you will soon have a workplace from hell. What a concept! It’s better to hire smart and avoid people in red suits with horns.

HIRING SECRETS. People are at their most productive when they’re in a position that lets them draw on their natural strengths and allows them to be themselves.

When people feel the need to act unnaturally, they experience stress, which lowers productivity and leads to job dissatisfaction. You see, you don’t need to know a lot about people’s weaknesses, but you do need to know about their strengths. Why? Because building on strengths is much more productive than trying to correct weaknesses.

One way to find out about people’s strengths is personality testing. Another is through in-depth interview questioning. Define the attributes that are needed for success in the position and then search for these with a structured interview process and good interview questions.

Too many interviewers make the mistake of overlooking traits that are essential for success in any position. These traits go beyond experience and previous work history and have become increasingly important as the workforce has changed. Take a look:

Work ethic. Work ethic is not something that comes with a long employment history. What we’ve found is that work ethic is developed at an early age and has more to do with feelings about work that formed in childhood. Ask what type of chores he or she was responsible for as a young adult. Did the candidate work for an allowance? Did he or she work through high school?

Loyalty. Does the candidate have any childhood friends? Is there evidence of long-term relationships that require loyalty?

Sense of humor. This is not the ability to tell a joke, but the ability to go through life’s ups and downs and still keep a smile. It’s the concept of seeing the glass “half-full” instead of “half-empty.” Talking with the candidate about the different challenges he or she has faced will give you clues about this one.

Respect. One of the best tests of respect is how the candidate treated the receptionist. You can have the receptionist complete a form after meeting the candidate that zeroes in on how easily the candidate smiled and whether or not the candidate was polite.

Judgment. There’s no replacement for an employee who exercises good judgment in decision-making. This one relates to common sense. Ask the candidate to give you examples of using his or her judgment and thoughts in making decisions.

Flexibility. A person who opposes change can have difficulty growing. Look for clues in the candidate’s life and personal development — evidence that he or she has been open to change, both personally and professionally.

Integrity. The credibility of your company is at stake with every new hire. Only hire people with complete integrity. Cross-check information from the employment application, resume, reference checks and the interview.

Maturity. Maturity does not necessarily come with age. Spending ample time with the candidate talking about his or her past will give insight into the maturity level. Also, it has been said that maturity is the ability to delay self-gratification. If this is true, look for signs that the candidate has not given into every whim in his or her life.

Dependability. This can be verified by reference checking and talking with former employers about dependability.

Intelligence. It’s no secret that intellect does not necessarily come from formal education. You can test employees for the ability to learn using formalized aptitude tests.

Initiative. This is difficult to assess during the interview, but easy to pick up on shortly after hire. Ask reference sources about initiative and look for signs within the first 90 days of hire. If you don’t see it, then it’s not likely to develop.

Enthusiasm. There is a name for people at our firm who are not enthusiastic — unemployed. Only hire people who believe in your company mission and philosophy. What’s the bottom line? What people know is less important than who they are. If you hire for attitude and train for skill, you will be better off in the long run. Trust me.

The author is president of Seawright & Associates, Inc., an H.R. management consulting firm located in Winter Park, Fla. She can be reached via e-mail at jpileggi@seawright.com or at 407/645-2433.