With an economy that is still in question, though job opportunities are increasing, a manager can make a costly mistake when hiring the wrong people. Today many companies spend more time conducting five to six interviews versus one or two to find the right person. Businesses are also hiring temporary contract employees to see how that individual functions in a day to day business environment before offering that full-time position.
Skilled in their field whether it be highly technical or customer service focused with a strong track record is a wonderful quality for a candidate to have but what kind of energy does that candidate have? What type of work ethic? Though they may have a resume complete with accomplished certifications, do they show up on time and utilize their day in a productive manner. They may have an Ivy league education but do they share that knowledge with others? How do they get along with their fellow co-workers and are they supportive of others? How do they handle conflict when confronted?
And, ultimately, attitude becomes the number one concern and should be when hiring the best candidate to do the job. Most managers admit that lack of motivation, a strong understand of emotional intelligence, the willingness to accept new idea is the reason new hires are dismissed in a short period of time, not because of a lack in technical savvy.
Enthusiasm and energy to make a difference in the workplace cannot be taught and attitudes that are self-defeating will also affect the existing team immediately creating an atmosphere of poor morale, tension and a lack of trust, even causing members that once inspired each other to fight overnight.
During the interview, many will fake that spirit out of desperation to get the job. Trust your instinct to determine the true level of sincerity. Contact references and other past employers to determine their day to day behavior. If you are not sure, have other members of your team talk to the candidate to get a feel for their unique spirit. Have them spend time at the facility to meet and engage with others which can truly give you the right impression on how they react to others. Take them to lunch and see if they say thank you to the server.
If you have a choice between that exceptional engineer who can design and build from scratch but would prefer isolation and his own time clock or the engineer who may need assistance but can’t wait to work with you, his team, and can laugh at his mistakes but move forward with determination and passion, to build a better organization, who would you choose?
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