Recruiting Staff for your Business - What do you look for in candidates?
Recently, we did a poll "What is most important to you, when recruiting a new member of staff for your Business?" With the multiple choice answers of "Industry / Role Experience" "Attitude" & "Qualifications". We did this because at the end of the day, every business needs to recruit, at one time or another. In order for it to grow and take it further. Conversely, as a candidate, you want to know what qualities you need to have to get a certain role. So it affects all of us... The results were interesting, so shortly, we will share them with you!
Coming from the Recruitment Industry, I have spent endless hours working out this question when recruiting for my old clients. What is it that they want?? On paper, a candidate can be perfect, have the right skills and experience, but in the face to face interview, they don't get the position, and sometimes it is baffling. But as the years went on, I learnt that one thing you just have or you don't, is the right attitude. You can't teach somebody this, and despite all the experience and grades in the world, if you don't want to learn new skills, be open minded to a new companies way of doing things or have the right outlook/ positive disposition, you will struggle at interview stage and in the role.
Interestingly, once putting this poll out to you all, a whopping 80% of you said that attitude is the most important thing you look for. So this supports what I have learnt over my many years matching candidates to employers. Attitude is just vital, you can gain experience and qualifications with time and hard work, but if your head just isn't in the game, you wont make it!
The other 20% said industry / role experience. So not a high % but still important. I do also agree with this. Of course it does help if you have some experience, that's why this is always in the "desired" candidate attributes section of most job specifications. It gives you a head start, and potentially less training and more of a hit the ground running type of thing. I guess it all depends on what that company needs at that time. If they have had someone suddenly leave the business, then they just simply need the "shoes filled" with someone who needs little training. But overall, I think , and many of you agree, what keeps a person within a role for the long term, is the right attitude. As they will adapt with your company and be flexible to the Business needs. Which, as all business owners know, we need many employees like this as possible! But they can also be hard to find!!
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