What key attributes do you look for when hiring new staff?

Answer 1

For me, the three most critical factors are ability, motivation, and communication.

Ability, of course, speaks for itself. A prospective employee needs to be capable of the position he or she is applying for. Personally I don't care one whit about qualifications or paperwork. In today's workforce, particularly in the IT industry, some of the smartest and most capable people are the ones who never went to university and got a piece of paper with their name on it. These are the people who have been using computers since before they could walk, and live, eat and breathe technology. That's far more important for such a position than knowing they jumped through somebody else's hoops well enough to get a diploma. So the first thing I look for is simply, will they be able to do the tasks that will be set before them?

Secondly but no less importantly, is motivation. If the applicant doesn't really want the job, or wants it for the wrong reasons, they're going to be a liability to my company in the long run, not an asset. People who are applying for the job because they need more money, because they're being forced to get off unemployment benefits, because they're sick of their current job, or anything similar, are no good to any team. They're fine for flipping burgers, scrubbing toilets, or saying "Would you like fries with that?", but when you're looking for a career-long team member and not just a seat-filler, it's critical that the person wants the job itself, not just the salary or the perks. The ideal applicant is somebody who actually takes a personal interest in the position - somebody that relishes a challenge, enjoys learning, believes strongly in the company's goals, or something along those lines. If they're invested personally in what they're doing for the company, they'll put more of themselves into their work than just their mere presence to get their paycheck, and that makes all the difference.

Lastly and just as important, is communication skills. Like any relationships, workplace teams rely on the ability to freely and openly exchange thoughts and ideas, so it's critical that everybody on board speaks the same language. Somebody who is shy, mumbly, nervous, or otherwise unable to articulate their thoughts clearly and confidently is unlikely to contribute anything valuable to their workplace, and ultimately is going to be an awkward roadblock to their team instead of a valuable asset. If I can't understand what you're saying, then how can I know what thought you're trying to convey? And more importantly, how can I know that you understand what I'm saying in turn, and do your job effectively? In any working team, the person who can not speak and be spoken to clearly, articulately, and reliably, is the weakest link, and will drag any good team down.

These are the factors which have always served me and my company well, anyhow. I've overlooked them in the past and have regretted it every time. Now it's a code I live by. If somebody doesn't have the required skills to do the job, the drive and motivation to perform it, and the ability to communicate with myself and other employees freely and comfortably, then I simply have no place for them here.

Answer 2

Key Attributes

Answer 3

Well never judge a book by its cover some people get nervous when at interview but it does not mean they are a bad person for the job. I do not know what the job is that you are looking to fill, but from my experience I have had people who know it all and seem to have the right attitude, but ended up thinking they knew it all. I have found that I usually go with a gut feeling, and if it feels right go with that, some people just need a break, and there could be any of many reasons why they do not shine at an interview, but end up being the best workers.

I’m sorry to say this but all the people that have said they are HR people you tend to be to mind set in your ways, I know this is not going to go down well, but I know you guys are trained to look for certain things, but seem to miss the important stuff, just because a person does not fit into a certain box does not mean they would not do the job well. I use to be a HR person I am now a manager of a company that is growing, and my staff are from various back grounds and its working well. I have people from no schooling to uni degrees. I’m not saying it has all gone smooth for us, but what I am saying is don’t always judge a book by its cover, you may be presently surprised.

To be honest here I did not finish school and a boss gave me a go even though he did say he was a little worried as I did not meet his criteria, after 20 years working with him and his family, he was sorry to see me go.

All I’m saying is look out side the box, don’t always look for something that will fit it.

Answer 4

1- Firstly, well presented Candidates, it is a first impression as they will be to clients and other employees if they were hired.

2- Well spoken! the terms, they words they use and how they expand the answer, the tone of their voices, how confidence do they sound? their backround and knowledge over the years. it doesnt make any difference if they searched for information about the company or not because anyone can do that!

3- Interpersonal skills! were they able to build a rapport with the interviewer on a formal basis of corse.

As for Weakness and Strength shouldnt make much of a difference because these can be easily improved by more training i would look at this issue after I have decided that they are the right candidate.

Answer 5

Number one is education/qualification because if they don't have it then they probably don't know as much as they need too. Two... attitude. Good attitude otherwise he/she will have problems with the other staff and that never ends well. Three is definitely experience, experience is the key to knowledge. Four is computer skills. My older sister's company mainly hired her for 1) her experience and 2) she knows computers (for the most part) like the back of her hand. Five is social skills and six is nerves (how do they handle pressure/public speaking/etc.).

Answer 6

Relative skills that apply to the role, commitment - the younger generation seem to chop and change jobs very quickly these days, we do not want to be advertising the position again in 6 months and go through the recruitment and training process when you spen alot of time and effort on getting the right person for the job.
When checking references I always ask about reliabilty and attitude. We want people who turn up to work on time and only have sick days when they are sick. Yes we all take a sickie from time to time but when staff take at least 1 day a week it demotivates everyone in the team they are working in and many others do the same.

Answer 7

1. Educational Qualification

2. Attitude

3. Experience

Answer 8

If it is a skilled job its best to find a trained/qualifed person. A lot of people say attitude is more important than skills, but I've worked in organisations like that and everything is usually done badly, and the staff don't know any better.

Answer 9

Of course it depends on which job you are hiring for: a janitor will not need the skill set that a CEO will. I will assume that you are looking somewhere in the middle.

The MOST IMPORTANT quality to me is COMMUNICATION STYLE. This can show writing skills, grammar, spelling, punctuation and also creativity.

Someone that can communicate affectively is someone that I would want to represent my company. I would look for these skills even in a janitor, but obviously would not look at them as closely as motivation.

Work experience would be nice, but NOT mandatory. I have never met all of the qualifications that were "required" for the jobs I have sought after, but have been hired for every one of them by "selling" myself.

Appear confident, make them like you and appear that you would be the best candidate for the job. Dress smart (not trendy, but fashionable) and communicate affectively.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

An employer always looks for a best candidate to fit him/her to the right job. Normally, an HR department will look into:
a) qualification
b) work experience (industry specific)
c) achievements/contributions

A job seeker should give utmost care and attention in his Resume to obtain an interview. The current recruitment stratgey built in considerable flexibility by not eliminating candidates who fall short of qualification. A good employer would rather look at his experience and gauges his contributions in the past jobs.

A job seeker who demonstrates a good level of confidence at the time of interview is mostly get hired (provided you can sneek into the interview with a professionally developed resume).