So we need to replace the administrative assistant in our department. I have two candidates that I am considering from the people I have interviewed. Candidate #1= Would fit in very well personality wise and would work very well as a team member with everyone. She has the right attitude for what we need. Her skill set is OK for the job but will need a bit more training than I would like. She will be much less productive for at least the first year. Hard to say what her long term capabilities are. Candidate #2= Well good skill set. Would hit the ground running from day #1 and would need very little, if any, training. Very capable and sharp. She will be more difficult to work with for the team but I think it is manageable. She fits in OK but not great personality wise. They are asking for about the same pay. Which one and why?
Hire which ever one has the highest potential. One of the nice thing about a person w. high end potential, but a lack of training, is that you get to train them the way you want.
Second one. Good personalities are great, but only for so long. You need someone who can work, not be everyone's best friend. If it would take a whole year to expect her to really earn her pay, its not the greatest choice. A month or 2 of training I can see, but a year is to much, I would go with the one ready to earn.
I've never hired anyone but my husband has, so I asked his opinion. He said either one will probably work out fine so hire the one with the short skirt. He also like Hooker's suggestion. Problem solved? May The Sheep Be With You
Oh boy, now I have seen it all, lol.....hire the person YOU think is best for the job. Thank god I'm not looking for a job in this day and age!
How good is the team you are hiring this person into? Would #2 screw that up? If not hire her. If #2 would make a good team's life miserable then train #1. One issue I'd have to look at is if both were existing employees I'd have to choose on qualification rather than someone's ability to fit into a team. Policy and union contract would make the decision for me. If they were both off the street, I could make the call either way.
@ Hook- Neither are attractive so take that out of the equation. @BHF- I think both have attributes that are good and bad. Where I weigh those attributes is the hard part. It's not as black and white as it sounds. @ Old Man - Working together as a team is very important and we have a team right now that works very well together. I am concerned #2 could affect the overall team atmosphere and be a bit more isolated. Our division is very successful due to high moral and the ability to work together very well. She could do her job very well but would she affect the over productivity of the entire division is hard to know without giving it a try. Since she is the admin assistant she will work with everyone on a daily basis. But she knows everything we need her to.
You can always learn new skill sets, if you are an area you're an arse there is no fix for that. Easier to train a person with new skills, it's a lot harder to teach someone to fit in to a team environment when they are not a good fit.
Depends on the size and current dynamics of your office. If you have a small staff and everyone is very tight and friendly then I'd go with #1 and train her to do everything YOUR way. In the end you'll have a person that fits well with the team AND does everything the way you want it done no questions or reasons to have it any other way. If you have a larger office with less team dynamic then I'd go with #2 because you probably don't have the time to spend training someone and team cohesiveness is less important. I personally like to train people to do a job MY way because with my business I think MY way is the best way and I haven't become successful for nothing. I'd pick #1 but I also have a small office population and team dynamics make up for a lot.
If you could tell that #2 would not fit from just an interview, just imagine how it will be if she actually works with you. Not to be sexist, but in general, women make horrible co-workers. I'd hire the one with the best attitude personality and train her myself.
#1 then. For sure. If you got a "not gonna fit with the team" vibe in your interview then that could potentially be just the beginning of hell in your office. Train the new girl to work your way. You'll eventually have a person that does stuff without direction or correction.
Just to clarify. I never said she would not fit with absolute certainty. She just would not fit as well as the other one. She would be average as far as fitting in and being a team player. The first one would fit in perfect and would be a great team player.
