Do You Know What Hiring Technique Really Works?

 December 31, 2018

Do You Know What Hiring Technique Really Works? 

The smartest organizations hire for attitude and train for skill, according to the Harvard Business Review. Now there might be exceptions to this rule, of course, if you’re hiring lawyers and need them to be licensed but for most professions, attitude has proven to be more important.

Take Southwest Airlines, whose over 40 years of success in a challenging industry has been driven by just this premise. When I’ve presented to their groups, I’ve always been cheered by their attitude and by their founder, Herb Kelleher, who was known for handling baggage and serving drinks, not just sitting in the C-Suite.

“…don’t rely on industry veterans but people with the right attitude towards service and fun, regardless of their previous employment.”

When I’ve spoken to Kelleher and other Southwest leaders, their hiring philosophy stands out: they don’t rely on industry veterans but people with the right attitude towards service and fun, regardless of their previous employment.

What Should You Do?

  • Hire to retain. It’s challenging enough to find available employees these days but in the scramble to recruit, people miss retention. One of the best ways to retain people is beginning with the right attitude. An Eeyore, for example is more likely to become unhappy and bail at the first sign of trouble than a Pooh.
  • Measure attitude. Ask directly about past specific challenges and what attitudes helped them through. Don’t just settle for generalities, ask for more details on the problems and the solutions they implemented. Test for emotional intelligence.
  • Don’t ignore introverts. While we live in a world that favors extroverts — especially when it comes to leaders — introverts can exhibit amazing attitudes; they may just be more thoughtful in answering questions. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you need people to solve complex problems.

What Do You Think?

Have you had good experience hiring for attitude? Share your stories. Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Did You Know

All of our leadership and management development programs include ideas about hiring and retention that work.

Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or
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Be sure to read Lynne’s book “Stop Pissing Me Off!” and learn what to do when the people you work with drive you crazy. 

 

  
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