President’s Letter

When interviewing a candidate for your team, do you prioritize the technical skills they bring to the table or their potential fit into your company’s culture?

In this issue of HR Insights, Kevin Eikenberry discusses this challenge in “Hire for Attitude, Train for Skills.” He suggests that companies focusing on finding team cohesion and cultural fit will have the best results long-term. This is because characteristics like a strong work ethic and “team player” mentality transcend any industry. 

At Employment Enterprises, we hire for foundation technical skills with a shown ability to work on a team. Then we teach each new employee—no matter which department they’re in—how to work with us. If someone doesn’t have experience with our HR database, for example, we teach them how to use it. We educate new hires on proper customer service techniques, pricing, and financial procedures. Most jobs require additional industry certifications after internal training, which further reinforces technical skills. But it is far more complicated (if not impossible!) to teach values like problem-solving, collaboration, and ethics! 

Managers and executives who encourage employees to learn new skills also see an increase in retention rates. With the right support, employees are more likely to share their career goals with their supervisors. Supervisors can then help define a career path that is beneficial to both the employee and the company. And since 45% of workers would stay longer with a company that invests in their development, the ROI is in the future of their own workforce.