The employee hiring process always has the potential to be a stressful one. Hire the wrong person, and it causes lost time and money for the organization. Hire the right person though, and team momentum and getting results gets a huge boost. Award-winning author and expert presenter on leadership, Lee Ellis, shares his insightful list for all leaders to consider as you hire your next employee in this presentation, "8 Factors to Hire the Best Employees: What Your Management Class Didn't Teach You". See how many that you’re using…

1. “What Your Management Class Didn’t Teach You:
8 Factors to Hire the Best Employees”

2. Leading with Honor
The employee hiring
process always has the
potential to be a stressful
one. Hire the wrong
person, and it causes lost
time and money for the
organization. Hire the
right person though, and
team momentum and
getting results get a huge
boost.

3. Here’s a step-by-step list* for all leaders to
consider as you hire your next employee.
How do you evaluate their potential? How
many different ways can you evaluate them?
What are the attributes you need to consider
to help avoid significant time and money
lost?
*These suggestions can serve as a supplement but should not supersede your organization’s human resources, policies and procedures.
Leading with Honor

4. Leading with Honor
The following areas are commonly used to
gain insights into an individual’s potential
for success in a particular position. Perhaps
you have some favorites that you use
regularly. Try adding a new evaluation tool,
test it, and see if it improves your evaluation
and hiring process –
Tools for Insight and Evaluation

5. Leading with Honor
Résumé
Assessments
References
Recommendations by people you don’t know
Recommendations by people you do know or are known to someone you know
Past work history
Education and training patterns and results
Past Achievements
Interview
Interview by someone in the company of the opposite sex from the primary
interviewer. Women and men often have very different insights in an interview.
Current life situation, such as a willingness to relocate
Expressed goals for the future
Attitude and other intangibles
Trial with a short-term project, contract, or temporary basis
Tools for Insight and Evaluation

6. Leading with Honor
If you’re initiating a long-term work relationship, it’s
important to get to know the potential employee in a
holistic sense by looking broad and deep to
understand the total person.
The following eight factors are recommended to be
considered in the hiring process to avoid any
surprises after you’ve hired the employee. These
factors aren’t necessarily intended to be interview
questions, but they can serve as a general guide to
help you evaluate the potential match.
Key Factor Considerations

7. Leading with Honor
Passion
What does the person really want to do?
How strong is the desire?
What are the motivating factors?
Key Factor 1

8. Leading with Honor
Natural Talents
(behavioral strengths, personality, temperament)
How closely do the candidate's strengths and struggles match what is
most commonly found in those who succeed in this or similar
positions? Use assessment services to identify talents. Remember,
you’re not looking for average talents for the key functions of the
position. For those areas, the individual should be using his or her best
talents—those that have the highest potential for immediate use as well
as further development. Also, these talents should be ones that the
person is highly motivated to use.
For instance, corporate trainers usually love to prepare and then
perform by presenting material to a group. A trainer who does not have
a passion for communicating information to a group is likely to be a
boring and unmotivated speaker.
Key Factor 2

9. Leading with Honor
Character and Integrity
Is this person reliable?
Is this person ethical?
Is his or her work ethic compatible with
the job, mission, and organization?
Key Factor 3

10. Leading with Honor
Experience
What type of work has he or she done in the past?
How much of his or her experience will transfer
into the position you are filling?
What has been the past level of achievement?
Are you considering the candidate more for now
or growing him/her into a position later?
Key Factor 4

11. Leading with Honor
Job-Related Skills
Based on past performance, has the
candidate demonstrated the skills that are
needed in the position?
Key Factor 5

12. Leading with Honor
Chemistry and Diversity
How well will this person fit the work team?
Can he or she quickly become part of the group?
Is it likely that he or she will accept others on the team
and be accepted by them?
Caution! Don't make the common mistake of seeing "different as
wrong." Diversity is essential to a competitive workplace. Also,
remember that first impressions can be biased by our past
experiences.
Key Factor 6

13. Leading with Honor
Values
Will your organization’s products, services,
and culture be complementary to the values
of the individual and vice versa?
Will there be conflicts? If so, how significant
are the potential conflicts?
Can everyone on the team accept the conflicts
and still be good teammates?
Key Factor 7

14. Leading with Honor
Retention and Career
Progression
Consider how long you would like to keep this person in this
position.
Try to determine how long the candidate would want to stay
in it. Evaluate how much growth potential the person has
available in the position.
How strongly is the candidate motivated toward career
progression versus stability? Is this person looking for a
stepping-stone or a long-term relationship?
Key Factor 8

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16. Lee Ellis is Founder and President of Leadership Freedom® LLC and FreedomStar Media®. He is an award-winning
author, leadership consultant, and expert presenter in the areas of leadership, teambuilding, and human performance.
His past clients include Fortune 500 senior executives and C-Level leaders in telecommunications, healthcare,
military, and other business sectors. Some of his media appearances include interviews on networks such as CNN,
CBS This Morning, C-SPAN, ABC World News, Fox News Channel, plus hundreds of engagements in various
industry sectors throughout the world. A retired Air Force Colonel, his latest award-winning book about his Vietnam
POW experience is entitled Leading with Honor®: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton. Learn more
at www.leadingwithhonor.com.
LeonLeeEllis
@LeonLeeEllis
Lee Ellis