Why attitude always matters when hiring Viewpoint careers advice blog

Why attitude always matters when hiring Recruitment can be a time-consuming, complex and not to mention expensive process and the consequences of getting it wrong can be severe. A recent study, found that in the vast majority of cases employees failed at their new job due to attitude. That’s why when you’re looking to take someone on you need to take into account their attitude as well as their skills, experience and qualifications. I learnt this lesson myself the hard way when I appointed someone whose attitude just wasn’t what we expect from staff, but by then it was too late. Remember, once someone is in post, getting them to leave because of the “wrong” attitude will be a lengthy, sensitive and difficult process. In our case, this individual, once they’d joined the team, did nothing but complain about our managerial strategy and the commute to work, fell into petty disputes with colleagues and generally showed a very poor attitude indeed. He was more than competent, but his behaviour soon started to have a real impact on team morale, and the negativity quickly spread to everyone. “We” over “me” If two candidates for a post are otherwise similar, attitude can be the one thing that sets one apart from the other, although it’s something that’s strangely often overlooked in the hiring process. Because while an applicant may have all the skills, experience, references and qualifications you are looking for, if they don’t have the correct attitude then they can quickly become detrimental to team morale and overall productivity. The advantage of a good attitude is that skills are generally easier to acquire, whilst a good attitude is something that often cannot be taught. The right behaviours and approach can help keep everyone focused and the whole workplace positive. People with this attitude celebrate the small, daily wins as well as the bigger ones. In short, it’s a triumph of the “we” over “me”. In one study of 20,000 new employees, nearly half (46%) had failed at their job within the first year and a half. Nearly 90% of the time, this was because of the wrong outlook, rather than a lack of skills.  Skills, it seems, are easily found. The right approach is much harder to get in a new hire. Identifying the right candidate It can be hard to tell much about someone’s attitude from a couple of short and artificial interview meetings. Someone who looks perfect for a role on paper may only display a poor attitude once they’re actually in the job.  So how can you best identify the right candidate and what questions can you ask to determine whether they are a team player or not? Here are five useful pointers: Before you interview anyone, ask existing employees who exhibit a great attitude whether they have any referrals for the role. If the candidate has had short spells in past jobs then ask them to be very clear on their reasons for leaving. Ask the candidate to rate their past jobs and happiness levels from 1 to 10. Are the candidate’s previous successes and future goals individual ones or collective? Conduct your own textual analysis of the candidate’s responses. Are they reluctant to refer to the past and do they tend to talk mostly about the ‘I’ rather than the ‘we’? Sometimes you may have to pick up on some very subtle clues, but remember to trust your gut instinct as well. Having staff with the right attitude will have an amazing effect on positivity in your place of work. Make it a priority to inform your recruitment consultant or partner on what to look for with regard to attitude to help them filter out the candidates who look great on paper but don’t have the right approach. The rewards of creating a positive and winning team will then soon become evident. I hope you have found the above advice useful. Here are some other Viewpoint blogs to help you  progress your career: You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em How to impress a recruiter with your resume/CV Stop putting off your job search 10 daily habits to bring you career success A simple guide to writing the perfect resume/CV 6 leadership styles you need to succeed How to get social media savvy in your job search 8 ways to fall back in love with your job How to build your personal brand online //