What To Look For When Hiring Top Talent

Hiring new people to join an existing team is something that you always want to try and get right the first time around.

Not only is the recruitment process a costly and time consuming process, but if you do get it wrong then it can have a huge effect on team spirit as well as the bottom line. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding in business than building a team from scratch that works well together and consistently delivers. But that sense of unity and productivity can potentially be ruined by just one bad hire – that’s why it is so vital to get recruitment right at the first time of asking.

Here are five traits to look for in potential employees.

Capabilities, not just qualifications

It is important to remember that the best qualified or most experienced person will not always be the one that automatically lands the role. What you are looking for is someone who is best suited to carry out the job you want to fill. Occasionally you may have situations where somebody is coming from another industry, but their core skill set is easily transferable, and actually makes them a better match than somebody who looks good on paper.

Initiative

Most people will claim on their CV or resume that they are able to work under their own steam and can think for themselves, but in reality that is not always going to be the case. One of the best ways to check this is by setting tasks during the recruitment process. Of course you wouldn’t always do this for every single role, but it does show whether candidates can use their own initiative and under pressure. For example, if you are recruiting for someone to work in your marketing team, ask them to write you a press release and a brief marketing plan for a product launch or campaign. I would also expect any good candidate to have done their homework on the role and company they are applying for. If they are unable to answer basic questions about what you do, then you have to consider whether they have the required initiative.

Team players

There is nothing wrong with ambition and drive but you will still want to take on people who are team players. Strong characters are important and can make a difference to any business but that should never come at a cost and they should not be allowed to dominate and lower other people’s morale. You want to make sure that any potential recruit is willing to work as part of team rather than putting themselves and their own ambitions first. Taking someone on who is only interested in furthering their own career can actually cause a lot of damage, particularly within a small team or unit.

Upgrades

Whoever you hire should bring additional value to the business. Look around your team and see if there are any gaps that need to be filled, or any areas where you are currently weak. Is the potential candidate going to fill this gap? If you are hiring because somebody has left, you don’t necessarily want to replace them with someone who is just as good – further your ambitions and hire someone who can do what the last person did, and more.

Enthusiasm

Probably the most important quality of all. People who are genuinely keen to do well can be really tough to find but will make all the difference in the workplace. I always feel you can learn new skills and pick up experience along the way but there can never any substitute for real enthusiasm. Bringing on board somebody who possesses this will also make your current team members up their game, which means your business will have a renewed sense of purpose and energy.

If you're an entrepreneurial graduate who wants to work with and be mentored by me and my team, The James Caan Talent Academy is now accepting applications for its first intake.