Hire for Attitude - Train for Skill

Do you recognize this recruitment strategy to "hire for attitude and train for skill"? Well if your from Canada, you may easily recognize it to be one of WestJet's philosophies on how they hire the best, and have phenomenal success in doing so!

You don't have to look too far if your looking for an example of a great company with a great culture who's hiring practices are worthy of emulation than our very own - WestJet! They are notorious for their fun and creative interviewing procedures, including asking prospects to come to an interview dressed up as their favorite cartoon character! As if that wasn't fun enough, evidently the questions during the interview are just as fun as the ambiance itself. Fun aside, why would a hugely successful national airline incorporate such antics in their hiring practices? Because they know that if they hire someone with a good attitude and personality, that they can train for skill later (except for pilots and mechanics of course who need to have specialized knowledge and credentials). As business owners, if you are currently hiring or will be soon, what can you take away from their successful hiring practices? What steps could you implement in order to optimize this all important facet of your business? Here are a few tips:

• Get clear on what you need: discerning the specific role and the tasks you really need is critical as sometimes it might be better to outsource the help, or you might even blend a few roles together
• Prepare a compelling job description: laying out what is expected with some fun and creative elements creates an image of the opportunity, and will help attract your ideal employee and repel the others
• Check out your competition: looking at similar positions in your area will help you flush out any differences and compensate for any shortfalls (culture, salary, benefits, perks, etc.)
• Check all advertising resources: in addition to mainstream ad platforms, there are a lot of free job boards such as in post secondary institutions, associations, local chambers, local community boards, etc.
• Sorting through the resumes: as the resumes start coming in, it is good to pre-screen the ones of interest via a brief phone interview or psychometric assessment, in order to save time before you move to next steps
• Prepare well for the interview: choose the best behavioral questions as they provide a deeper insight into their attitude in the workplace, and another best practice is to have a panel style interview or 2nd interview

In addition to the brief tips above, perhaps you could also research a few companies that you admire and see what their career page and job postings looks like. This will help you ascertain their HR strategies for securing good people. Many wise business owners truly know that their biggest asset is their people. So any time invested in talent acquisition, talent management, and talent retention are all very valuable endeavors.

If you need help with any hiring campaigns, please reach out to Modern Link Professional Services. Our team of professionals have varying degrees of experience and expertise, and are standing by to help. We invite you to book a free discovery call to see if our virtual supports can help you hire for attitude and train for skill!

"Great vision without great people is irrelevant."

Jim Collins

Sources: ConveyIQ/ebn/JobMonkey/Indeed