Tips for Small Business Hiring

Choosing someone to add to your team is an important decision — especially for a small business. If you’re a team of nine, for example, that new person and the qualities they bring to the table will make up 10% of your office.

As we grow, making choices about finding the right people to add to our office here in Bozeman has been a topic on our minds. While hiring someone who is qualified and capable of the skill set at hand is important, here are three less-traditional qualities that we pay attention to when hiring.

Enthusiasm — There’s nothing worse than someone who hates what they do 40 hours a week. Having an office full of employees who actually enjoy what they do makes a huge difference, not only in overall attitude, but in the quality of the work they produce. People who love what they do, for the most part, are going to produce better quality work, which promises better return for everyone at the company. We look for people who are passionate about the subject for which they are applying.

Integrity — Although sometimes it might seem tempting to swoop up the candidate with the most skills on their resume, you should weigh these qualifications against their personal integrity. During the interview, we make an effort to get to know the potential employee on a personal level. Skills can be taught; integrity cannot.

Candor — Sometimes admitting you are unsure of something, rather than pretending, is the road take. We try and look for people are are willing to admit to a lack of knowledge or their mistakes, rather than trying to fabricate something.

Although there are many more attributes to look for when hiring, these skills are a great foundation for building a team who will work in cohesion for long-term success.