People I’d Want to Hire

Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by Frank Roche

Creating a great group isn’t that tough if you hire right. (The Warm Body Method of Recruiting is the opposite of what I’m talking about.) Here are some traits I look for:

  1. People who are passionately interested in their field
  2. People who know the best people in their business
  3. People who ask, “What do we need to get done today?” before they get to work
  4. People who watch the clock in the morning and get in on time
  5. People who don’t watch the clock at the end of the day
  6. People who are smart (you can teach them anything)
  7. People who are witty (they’re fun to be around)
  8. People who have talents that don’t have anything to do with work
  9. People you can count on
  10. People who say “We” instead of “I”

Support this post around the web. We would really appreciate it.

digg
delicious
twitter
stumbleupon
email

User Comments

  1. Kim Haynes

    Apr 29th, 2008

    Frank,

    Great post and thoughts on the right person. Especially love the one about finding someone that doesn’t watch the clock at the end of the day. I know someone that as soon as I see him I know without fail it’s 5:00. He never proves me wrong.

    Kim

  2. Frank Roche

    Apr 30th, 2008

    Hi Kim, that clock watching at the end of the day drives me nuts. Funny how you can set your watch by some of them. It’s about getting the work done. I’m a fan of doing what we say we will. That doesn’t always happen between 9 and 5.

  3. JT

    Apr 30th, 2008

    Great list – how about adding “When they are there, they are there.”

  4. Kris

    Apr 30th, 2008

    So simple and so true. I especially like the one about knowing the best people in the business and asking what needs to get done before the day starts. It’s about being interested in what you do and wanting to get stuff done.

    What I really love are people who ask “what could I have done differently/better” when something goes wrong rather than “well, if that hadn’t happened, or if he/she had done better…” etc. Accountability is always something that is respected.

  5. The Happy Employee

    May 1st, 2008

    8 out of the 10 points already apply to me. I’ll send you my CV as soon as I’ve mastered the 2 last ones ;-)

  6. Frank Roche

    May 1st, 2008

    JT, that’s the best explanation of “engagement” I’ve ever seen.

    Kris, I wholeheartedly agree about accountability. So true.

    The Happy Employee, you’re already there. Being happy is a HUGE part of it for me. I like working with fun people.

  7. Svi Poslovi

    Aug 19th, 2008

    Maybe creating a great group isn’t that tough if you hire right but it’s often tough hiring right. It’s not the matter of making proper decisions. It’s about not being able to find these people you’ve described so easily.

Leave a Reply

Looking for a place to add a personal image? Visit www.gravatar.com to get your own gravatar, a globally-recognized avatar. After you're all setup, your personal image will be attached every time you comment.

Trackbacks

  1. [...] wrote what I think is the best definition of employee engagement ever in the comments on People I’d Like to Hire: When they are there, they are [...]

  2. [...] know-how, intelligence and wit: these are some of the things that Frank Roche at KnowHR would like to see in new hires. How about [...]

  3. [...] Napisao: Frank Roche Izvor: http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2008/04/29/people-id-want-to-hire/ [...]

  4. [...] week KnowHR did a post on People I’d Like to Hire detailing a whole list of traits Frank Roche looks for. He then shared one person’s comment on [...]