Do you hire like your hair is on fire or slow down a bit to get organized? Mayne you hire based on a checklist of skills. How about character? How does appearance factor in? A little of both and a lot more? My family didn't make a hire recently but we did adopt a dog from the local Humane Society. We had a checklist of a few attributes or measurables...between 30 to 50 pounds, not a puppy, not aggressive, appears friendly, etc. When we got there and looked at all of the dogs, we had two top candidates to meet and see how they interacted with our family. One dog was "normal" and the other was a recent "tripod." Both seemed friendly but the tripod was super friendly but we were unsure about the three leg issue. Long story short, we met the normal dog first and it was a bad fit for my family. So, we tried the tripod. She ended up being a great fit and has been a great addition to our family.
What I learned about teammate selection from the dog selection process was to have a few non-negotiable things but to be flexible on the rest. The character of the dog that picked us was perfect for our family and, as a result, an issue like missing a leg ended up being a non-factor.
When it comes to hiring, do we have blinders on in regards to how someone might look based on a brief first impression or resume? What character traits and basic skills are required at the start of the job? It's much harder to teach character so if someone has the right character and personality traits, can they be trained to master the skills required to succeed in position? Maybe, for the right candidate, placing them in another could be best. In some cases, maybe they are uniquely qualified through the character and skills they already have and a new position should be created for them. There are tons of options and variables in the hiring process. It's our job to find the right person for the right job and not just find minimally adequate candidates to fill roles in The Trailer or the main office.
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