Hire Hard or Manage Hard – Skills To Value
 
This is not the first time you’ve heard us say “hire hard or manage hard”. That’s because we can’t say often enough that who you hire is a critical component for being successful. New hires must complement your existing team while supporting the values of your work culture.  If they don’t, you’ll be spending more time than you’d like addressing the actions and behaviors of the “misfit”.

Career consultant Joseph Liu provides 7 factors to consider for finding the best fit:

1. Emotional Intelligence
Ask your candidate to share personal examples of how they changed their work culture in the past. What struggles did they observe? Were they sensitive to the needs of others? What was their approach?

2. Resilience
How adaptable is the candidate when faced with obstacles, failure, or stress? Again, ask for specifics for the actions taken for attaining desired results.

3. Empathy
Is there sensitivity for colleagues when they are experiencing challenges outside of the workplace? How did they help a colleague work through their issue? Did they truly seem to care?

4. Adaptability
Many workers are now working remotely; some readily accepted this change while others struggled. Ask the candidate to share how they were able to transition from an “in person” work environment to one of teleconferencing.

5. Initiative
How have they prepared for the interview? Did they research your company and the position? Maybe even you? Are they able to self-motivate and influence colleagues? Ask for examples.

6. Tenacity
What does the candidate do to manage setbacks and challenges? Do they maintain their focus for achieving the end goal? Ask for examples.

7. Relationship Management
Working remotely can impact relationships. What or how does the candidate stay connected with colleagues and build relationships? How do they create a strong boss/subordinate relationship?

Don’t neglect required technical skills, but soft skills must be valued. When hiring, look for candidates that possess skills that will positively impact interactions with your team members, and will also be a good fit for your ideal work culture. If not, be prepared to “manage hard”!

Sincerely,

Mike and Jan

92% of executives say soft skills were equally or more important than technical skills.
— WSJ Survey
 
Tags: