Truth 1There is no such thing as the ideal candidate

We all know what makes an ideal candidate. We all want employees with a great attitude, strong work ethic, high energy, and strong motivation. We also want employees who can work as part of a team, provide great customer service, and have passion about their work and loyalty to their employer. Right? Wrong!

There is no universally ideal candidate. In fact, we all have slightly different ideas about what makes a great employee.

At a hiring seminar, managers were asked to identify the traits of their ideal candidate, with wildly varying results. Some wanted an assistant who thought like they did; others wanted someone with skills opposite their own. Certain managers wanted their employees to ...

Get Find (and Keep) Top Talent for Your Business (Collection), 2/e now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.