There are a lot of decisions to make when you’re hiring someone new; the recruitment process is rarely as simple as seeing your ideal candidate, making them an offer and welcoming them on board. One of the biggest things you need to decide is whether you’re going to hire for skill or attitude. You might want a candidate who turns up armed with industry knowledge, experience and skills on their first day. You might want someone whose personality and attitude aligns with the existing team, even if that means training them up during onboarding. There’s no right or wrong approach, but knowing what’s best for your business is key.
Hiring for Skill vs. Attitude: What’s the Difference?
Finding a candidate with the right skills is important, but attitude can’t be overlooked. Both are important, but they impact your business in different ways.
Hiring for Skill
This involves you focusing on proven technical abilities, relevant experience and qualifications. By looking at what a candidate is capable of right now – based on their previous experience – you get a good idea of their ability to execute tasks, deliver results and complete projects without needing much training.
Hiring for Attitude
This includes looking at the mindset, adaptability, work ethic and cultural fit of a candidate, and how they would fit in with the existing team. It’s about how a candidate approaches their work – are they a team player or do they work better on their own, and how do they handle feedback? – and who they are as a person, focusing on things like their passion for the industry and determination.
Why Should You Hire for Skill?
Hit the Ground Running – Skilled candidates can start adding value to your business from day one. This reduces onboarding time and they have an immediate impact. There’s no waiting around for them to catch up.
Lower Training Costs – When you hire for skill, you save money on extensive employee training because they already know what to do. They’re likely to have already completed the training elsewhere.
Credibility – Skilled candidates can quickly gain the trust of clients, stakeholders and peers. It’s a way of showing that your business has capable, skilled talent taking care of things, which increases trust.
Mentorship – When you have skilled employees, you can use them for mentorship. They can train less experienced staff, sharing their knowledge and improving the overall competency of the team.
However, there are a few downsides that come with hiring solely for skill. For example, a candidate might be skilled but, if they have poor interpersonal skills, hiring them could damage team morale. You might also find that highly experienced individuals are somewhat resistant to approaches or company-specific ways of working.
Should You Hire for Attitude Instead?
Cultural Alignment – New hires who match your values and business mission tend to integrate better into the team, boosting morale and making collaboration simpler.
Dedicated to Growth – When you hire for attitude, you’re likely to find your chosen candidate is eager to learn, adapt and take on new challenges. They have the dedication to do well and help the business grow.
Resilience Under Pressure – Don’t underestimate the impact a positive attitude can have on productivity and team morale, even in stressful situations. When your team is faced with a challenge, having the right attitude can bring fresh perspectives.
As is the case with hiring for skill, there are a handful of downsides when you hire for attitude alone. For example, candidates may need significant time and resources to reach full competence, which delays them adding value to the business. You might also struggle to find the time, money and resources to develop their skills from scratch. They might be enthusiastic and aligned with your team, but that only goes so far.
You Don’t Have to Choose Between the Two
Hiring for skill or attitude doesn’t mean choosing between the two, as they work together to create a well-rounded, capable employee. If you build your team on skill alone, you might end up with a group that’s hard to beat technically, but who clash with each other or undermine morale. If you focus only on attitude, you risk having a bonded and collaborative team that struggles to deliver results. To ensure a successful hire, find a balance between the two.
How to Balance Hiring for Skill and Attitude
Identify Your Must-Have Skills – There’s bound to be a skill or two that are must-have for the role, so make a list of the essential technical abilities that are non-negotiable. Separate these from “nice to have’ skills that could be learned quickly on the job.
Define Your Company Culture Non-Negotiables – Think about the traits that are essential for someone to thrive in your workplace. For example, if feedback is a big part of the role, they need to be open to constructive criticism. If a lot of the work is done as a team, they need to be able to collaborate with others.
Be Realistic About Applied Skills – Rather than relying on what’s on a candidate’s CV, be realistic about the applied skills they need to have. Ask for samples of their work and conduct practical tests to assess what they’re actually capable of. This ensures you’re measuring their skills in use, not just theoretical knowledge and what’s on paper.
Consider a Trade-Off – You might not find a candidate who has the perfect balance of skill and attitude, and you might need to trade-off one for the other. If a candidate has outstanding technical skills but questionable attitude, determine whether their behaviour could harm the team. If they have the right attitude but skill gaps, decide if you have the resources to train them.
Plan for Development – Consider what a candidate is lacking and plan to develop them into the ideal employee. If you hire for skill but see attitude issues, put coaching and team integration at the top of their onboarding plan. If you hire for attitude, come up with a training roadmap for skill acquisition.
Think Long-Term – Taking on a new team member is something that’s going to impact the business going forward, so think long-term. Consider not just the immediate role that needs filling, but where you want this person to be in a few years time.
There are a lot of decisions to make when you’re hiring someone new; the recruitment process is rarely as simple as seeing your ideal candidate, making them an offer and welcoming them on board. One of the biggest things you need to decide is whether you’re going to hire for skill or attitude. You might want a candidate who turns up armed with industry knowledge, experience and skills on their first day. You might want someone whose personality and attitude aligns with the existing team, even if that means training them up during onboarding. There’s no right or wrong approach, but knowing what’s best for your business is key.
