Choosing which applicant to hire is one of the most important decisions that a business manager will make. Hiring the wrong person can result in months or even years of problems that may cost a business financially and cause strife in the workplace. Conversely, hiring the right person can mean an improved workplace and a boost to the company’s bottom line. Fortunately, there are some characteristics for hiring managers to look for when choosing which candidate to hire.

Adaptability

The world is ever changing and employees need to be able to quickly adapt to these changes in order to succeed. This adaptability may mean being able to learn new office technologies or simply being open to changes in how the work day is scheduled. Hiring managers should ask a job candidate about past experiences in which they were forced to change rapidly and how that candidate dealt with those changes.

Communication Skills

In the modern workplace, communication is a key skill. The ability to follow instructions and provide information is a needed ability no matter what position the candidate will be filling. The good news is that a job interview is a ideal environment for assessing the ability to communicate as hiring managers should be asking two part questions that force a candidate to follow directions as well as allowing the candidate the opportunity to convey information about his or her knowledge and abilities.

Attitude

A person who is unpleasant to be around should be avoided at all costs. Only in rare circumstances would it be worth it for a business to hire a job candidate who has a bad attitude, regardless of that candidates other skills and abilities. An employee with a bad attitude can quickly disrupt a workplace and negatively impact the performance of others. However, a person with a positive attitude will not only be pleasant to be around, but he or she may also have a positive impact on his or her co-workers. Attitude is often displayed in a job interview when discussing past employers. A person who has nothing positive to say about a current or past employer may be providing a signal about his or her attitude in general.

Though choosing who the right person is to hire is not always easy, modern technology has helped to smooth out the actual hiring process. Companies such as www.BambooHR.com provide useful tools that help HR professionals to complete the everyday tasks of HR, allowing them more time to focus on important business decisions.