Hiring the Right People

The best people to hire are those who have a combination of character, attitude, and skills. As we all know, it's hard to find anyone with that perfect mix. So, of the three, I would hire character and attitude before skills. You can always teach skills.You must determine what the character and attitude is that you seek in the employees you hire. This will aid you in the interview process to ensure the best possible employee.Here is a list of 20 character traits from my book on employee motivation. You'll never be able to get them all, but think about the ones that are non-negotiable to you. When you do the interview, ask questions that seek out the character you want. If you don't actively look for it, how can you expect to find it?1. Alertness2. Resourcefulness3. Orderliness4. Respectfulness5. Attentiveness6. Hospitality7. Thriftiness8. Initiative9. Diligence10. Responsibility11. Thoroughness12. Punctuality13. Flexibility14. Dependability15. Creativity16. Decisiveness17. Determination18. Persuasiveness19. Patience20. LoyaltyOne more thought. You can rarely succeed at hiring character you don't have. As in all things, it starts with the only person in the world we really can change ... ourselves.by Steven Schlagel