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It’s Only Common Sense: A ‘Hire Responsibility’—12 Traits of the Perfect Candidate

Continuing our series on finding and hiring the best people for the future of your company, today we will talk about the ideal candidate for the position you’re trying to fill. Just like in sales, where we develop the ideal customer profile, we know to who our ideal candidate is. As the saying goes, “How will you find what you want if you don’t even know what you want?”

The best way to find the perfect candidate for the position you want to fill (and for your company) is to create a description of that ideal candidate. This means really thinking about what attributes you want in the person you are going to hire.

Here are 11 character traits (plus a bonus) to look for when creating your ideal customer profile:

1. Required qualifications: The fundamental job description, which I’m sure you have already, covers what is needed for the position, including education, experience, and capability. These details are important, but they do not paint the complete picture of what you need. You’ve been working with this job description for years and look where you are today. You need to develop your profile with a much more holistic approach; one that will give you some real insight into the person’s entire character.
2. Attitude: The right candidate needs to have the right attitude. They need to be positive and believe that anything is possible if you work hard enough.
3. Potential: The right candidate needs to have not only the ability to do the job today but the potential to be a viable human asset to your company for years to come. You must evaluate a candidate with an eye toward both her own future and her future with your company. How will they contribute to your company’s success in five years?
4. Passion: The adage, “You can teach the product, but you can’t teach passion,” applies here, and it could not be more accurate. Passionate people get things done; they move mountains. They are the people who are ready to transform the world. Always look for passion—but remember that passionate people can also be stubborn, so be prepared.
5. Success: Look for a candidate who has already proven they can be successful. Ask about their past. Even if they are straight out of school, by talking to that person, you can determine if they have been a zero or a hero. Winning is a habit—make sure you hire someone who is in the habit of winning.
6. Curiosity: All great people are curious because they want to know how things work. They question everything and everybody. If the candidate you’re interviewing turns the tables on you and starts interviewing you instead, you are onto something.
7. Ambition: You want a candidate who is ambitious; someone who is in a hurry to get somewhere. When you talk to a candidate and they keep asking you about the next steps and their future with the company, then you are talking to the right person.
8. Contribution potential: You should be looking for a person who will contribute to your company; someone who is looking to make a difference in whatever organization she is a part of. This person will ask you about your company and your products to make sure that your company matters and is in fact contributing to your market, your industry, and the world.
9. Authenticity: Is the person real? Do they come across as authentic? Do you feel you can trust this person to be honest with you and with everyone they meet? Look for authenticity in your ideal candidate. Believe me, you’ll know it when you see it.
10. Adaptability: Your candidate should be able to adapt to any situation. They should be someone who not only embraces change but looks forward to it and will cause change when necessary. A person with this characteristic will prove to be a fantastic asset to your company.
11. Diverse interests: People who are interested in a lot of things are interesting people. Find out what your candidate’s interests are. What do they do when they are not at work? What are their hobbies? What organizations do they belong to? What are they excited and passionate about? Knowing this information will go a long way to learning all you need to know about the right candidate.

In the spirit of under promising and over delivering, let’s make it an even dozen.

12. Kindness. Is the person a good person? Are they someone you would enjoy working with every day? Forget that “nice guys finish last” nonsense. If the person you hire checks off all the boxes listed above and is also a good, kind, and pleasant person, you have found yourself a winner. Hire that person and you’ll see them do great things for you, your company, and themselves too.

There you have it, everything you need to develop your own ideal candidate profile. Next week, we’ll talk about the actual search for that right candidate—that will be fun.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.