Hire for attitude, train for skills

You may know this maxim. Changing a person's innate behavior is difficult, while training a new skill is relatively easy.

While a good attitude and high level of skill are not exclusive, you may not find that combination sitting in your interview room.

You will be making judgments on a candidate's aptitude and attitude from the moment you meet them. It is your job as the interviewer to match the candidate to the job. Their attitude will be an important part of that matching.

Remember that attitude is not visible to you except through the resulting behavior. Is the exhibited behavior suitable for the job? The candidate may display behavior suggesting an attitude towards risk based on a belief in luck. You might think carefully about employing a surgeon that behaves in this way! The attitude portrayed in the interview should be tested through questions. People can be nervous in interviews, so dig down in the questions to seek clear examples of relevant behavior...