Hiring For Attitude Over Skills

The Power Of Mindset

As per Monster, companies like Southwest Airlines, The Ritz Carlton, and Zappos have been taking on the mantra "hire for attitude and train for skill." It's a simple twist, but one that profoundly impacts how to recruit and select new employees successfully.

Fostering a distinctive company culture is paramount. Hiring for attitude is about building a unique community and company brand. Teaching employees new skills is easy; changing someone's perspective is another story.

If you hire a candidate based on their attitude, they are far more likely to embrace training. Suppose your new hires are open to learning new skills in a collaborative environment while having the motivation to hone their expertise individually. That is the best scenario for building a team that will take your organization to the next level.

While highly skilled candidates with years of experience in a particular proficiency will know how to hit the ground running, you could find they have a precise approach to working. If their vision is rigid and doesn't align with your changing culture, you could almost immediately run into problems, which is counterproductive.

If you take the time to examine your existing high performers across departments, you might find that most of them share these common positive attitude attributes:

• A willingness to take ownership of their mistakes or problems

• An unwavering passion for collaboration and communication

• A boldness that removes the fear of making mistakes from any given circumstance

• Consistency in delivering quality work and an ability to meet deadlines

• An ability to show real empathy towards their colleagues and the company's clients or consumers.

• A passion for learning and developing new skills continually

When you're looking to hire new talent for your business, these are qualities you should focus on—personal attributes and soft skills that will enhance your business.