The Seven Decisions in Making a Great Hire: Potential for Long-Term Success

On the surface, it would appear that a person who has tremendous talent, skills, knowledge, personality, and experience has everything to ensure long-term success.

These factors are all very important in how well a person will do long-term.  Equally important to long-term success are punctuality, attendance, conduct, trustworthiness, self-confidence, demeanor, personal appearance, loyalty, determination and flexibility, independence and team skills, and possibly other traits that appear on school report cards, military evaluations, and can be assessed through observation and question and answers in interviews.

Also, ask about these traits when conducting reference checks.

I had a secretary who worked for me for fifteen years.  I rarely looked inside her desk drawer.  When I needed something from her desk, I ask for it.  After she had gone home one evening, I needed a paper clip or piece of tape or something, and went to her desk, because whatever it was that I needed, I did not have it at my desk.  When I opened her desk drawer, I saw a note to herself that no one on earth would likely have ever seen except for this secretary.  The note read, “I owe Jay two stamps.”  She was not only honest; she took steps to ensure that she repaid what she owed.  She was very trustworthy, always punctual, consistently at work.  She had the self-confidence to greet people who came to the office.  She had a personal appearance appropriate for the office.  She had enough determination to finish the job and yet had the flexibility to let go of the job when asked to switch to new assignments.  She worked when I was away as though I was in the office, and she had a loyalty that kept her at my office as an employee for fifteen years.  When I hired her, she had the potential for long-term success for the role for which I had hired her.

Does the applicant have the talent, skills, knowledge, personality, experience, potential for long-term success, and the personal goals  to fit the job?  In the next discussion, I will look at personal goals.