Do you know what to look for?
You just went through a mound of résumés, searched the Internet and have reduced your list of IT candidates down to a reasonable amount. Now, the fun really begins with in-person interviews. And if you are new to hiring technology people, or just want to make sure you make good decisions for your business, here are…
3 Telling Signs to Hire the Right, IT People
1. Knows the Company
If the candidate you are speaking to has no idea what your company does or the benefits you offer to customers, end the interview quickly to save time. There is a lot of competition out there for jobs today, and if the candidate can’t take the time to learn about your products and services prior to the interview, how much effort is he or she going to put into the job once hired?
2. Shows Enthusiasm
In addition to knowing about your services, you also want the candidate to be excited about the possibility of working for your organization. If this person has a passion for what he or she does and shows enthusiasm towards your business, this excitement will carry over when hired. And you want positive people working for you as one negative person can ruin an entire team.
3. Has the Right, IT Skills
Obviously, the candidate needs to have the specific, IT skills you are looking for. With this in mind, it’s essential to ask questions about pertinent technology experience to make sure they know their stuff. And if you don’t know anything about technology, find an associate, co-worker or outside resource who is well-versed in technology to attend the interview and ask the right questions.
It’s also important to check references, samples and do your due diligence. After all, do you really want to hire a “nice” technology person just to find out he or she really doesn’t know what they’re doing?
Some Questions Are Obvious
When you hire IT people, there are the usual, job-interview questions that we all know and love in order to find out more about the candidate. But don’t forget to look at the overall picture.
Have they conducted some research about your business?
Do they really want to help your company succeed, or are they just looking for a job?
And most important, do they have the unique, IT skills necessary to help your business reach specific goals this year?
Make an effort to conduct extensive interviews for your IT hires. It takes extra time, but by finding the right people up front, you’ll save yourself from a lot of unnecessary headaches and wasted resources in the future. Plus, you’ll be more likely to find good hires whom will offer creative solutions and help your business increase revenues overall.
Robert LeCount is The Rich Dad Company’s Director of Information Technology. Based on Robert Kiyosaki’s best-selling book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” The Rich Dad Company uses innovative technology to offer a new way to think about money and investing. For more information and to increase your financial education, please write to Robert below or at www.richdad.com.
