Recruiting is expensive. The associated costs of a new hire can run as high as 150 percent of the employee’s annual salary. What are the most important traits you should seek in candidates to ensure that every new hire is a success?
Four forerunners are:
Aptitude
Fifty-seven percent of businesses say they face a critical shortage of appropriately skilled entry-level workers. While some jobs require extensive experience, in many cases it’s best to seek raw talent with lots of aptitude and skill, rather than hire those who think they already know your business.
- The added baggage that comes with experience is not always an asset. Some of it may have to be unloaded before you can effectively retrain and acclimate a new hire to your organization.
- Look for the ability to quickly build rapport. Along with team-building aptitude, seek out the capability to handle rejection and willingness to follow proven processes.
Attitude
There’s a thin line between aptitude and attitude, and you need both.
- Skills can be taught. Attitude is a reflection of a candidate’s basic personality, which is much harder, if not impossible, to change. Make your final selection based on attributes such as flexibility, passion and accountability. One of the main reasons new hires fail comes back to personality – or attitude – issues. This may include poor ability to receive and act upon feedback, lack of motivation, or simply an unsuitable temperament for the job.
- Forty-nine percent of businesses say new college graduates lack business acumen. But if a candidate fails in this regard because they have no sincere interest in your company, they may be applying for the wrong reason. This does not make them a good long-term prospect as you seek to nurture and grow your top talent.
Emotional Intelligence
Technical competency is a key asset, but emotional intelligence sets a person apart when it comes to effectively making decisions and empathizing with the needs of colleagues and clients.
- Emotional intelligence is a general assessment of a candidate’s ability to control their emotions. A high EI level also means they can sense, understand and react to the emotions of others, and successfully manage relationships.
- Employees with a high EI level are more likely to stay calm under pressure. They can manage conflict, and they lead by example. They tend to be more thoughtful in making key business decisions. They admit to and learn from their mistakes. They listen as much or more than they talk, they handle criticism well, and they consistently show grace under pressure.
Integrity
As noted by Forbes, “Success will come and go, but integrity is forever.”
- Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances – whether or not anyone is watching. It takes courage to do what’s right, regardless of the consequences.
- Avoid hiring anyone who does not seem trustworthy. If someone appears dishonest in any one aspect of their lives, this is likely to carry over to other areas. Don’t dismiss small transgressions like fudging employment or academic dates on a resume. If a person can’t be trusted in these matters, how can you possibly trust them to work for you?
The professional recruiters at PrideStaff Fresno can help you set hiring criteria and find candidates with the characteristics you need to best reflect your employment value proposition. To learn more, read our related posts or contact us today.
