Last weekend, Alan bought a book on photography. It's one of his hobbies and he wanted some advanced information on how to get even better at it. He was reading it one morning before work and came across a passage he thought that I would like:
"I have once heard that three human ingredients will combine to produce success in any field of endeavor; Enthusiasm Talent and Hard work. And that a person can be successful with only two of those attributes as long as one of the two is enthusiasm." -The art of Photography; an approach to personal expression by Bruce Barnbaum
It made me think about how I hire people. One of my biggest personal standards is that I strive to set people up for success. I want to find the best people for the right job and give them everything they need to be successful. More than that, I want to do everything in my power to empower them to chase that success. However, I have learned that no matter what I do, I can't give a person inner drive, a friendly personality, a work ethic, and the ability to show up to work on time. Those are things I think you have to get from your parents, and if they failed you, I'm not really sure I can help.
One of the key things I look for when I'm hiring someone is Enthusiasm. Talent is great, but talent without enthusiasm for the job at hand is worthless. Some of my best hires ever were people without any experience, but they had that real *SPARK* to them. You know the one I'm talking about. They were the people who :
- Understood that Everyone on site picks up garbage
- Don't think that there are any jobs "beneath" them
- Make great eye contact
- Have an abundance of both enthusiasm and energy
- Genuinely WANT the job, not NEED it
- Are able to establish a rapport with me right away
- Try to connect with me during the interview on more than a professional level
That's just the first few qualities on my *SPARK* list. What's on your list? What triggers your sixth sense in hiring people?