Technical Skill can be Trained, Character CANNOT

Finding the Right Fit
Finding the Right Fit

As a business owner, I have learned that my TEAM is the absolute most valuable resource I have.  It is impossible to grow a successful company all on our own.  In order for any of us to be successful in business, we need people… we need GREAT people surrounding us as we grow and develop our company.

The hiring process has been one of the most frustrating areas of business growth for me, or at least it used to be.  I have made many mistakes over the years, by hiring the WRONG people.  And let me just say, there is absolutely nothing more frustrating than hiring someone and 3 months later realizing they are not a fit, then starting that interview process all over again.  There were days I wanted to give up and quit, just because of this process.  It is so costly when you mess up and hire the wrong person.  I really started thinking it must just be me!  I must be a magnet for hiring bad candidates.  So about 10 years ago, I made a real effort to study this area, I read numerous books and articles, and spent a ton of money on seminars and workshops so that I could become much better at hiring.

Out of everything I have ever learned, there is one thing that is the most important by far!  Hire for a person’s character and attitude first, and hire for technical skill second.  Technical skill can be trained, a person’s character cannot!

It is critical to learn how to pull out character traits during the hiring process. It is also critical to get people to reveal their true self, so that there are no surprises later.  One employee with a bad attitude will undermine your entire organization.  You want to do everything possible at the hiring stages to figure out if your potential candidate is a good fit for your company and company’s culture.  Do NOT settle, if you aren’t feeling it with the selection in front of you…don’t just pick the best of what you have available.  Keep looking, this area is far too important.

 

 

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