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The 12 Vital Traits to Know About Your Job Applicant

Hiring an employee is an investment. Hiring the "wrong employee" can be a disaster.

These 12 traits apply to all people and all positions. They are absolutely necessary to know about a potential employee.

Graphology, the analysis of one's handwriting, is an extraordinarily powerful tool which can be used during the hiring process to shed light on many of these traits. All that's needed is sample of the applicants handwriting and a skilled, qualified analyst to provide a unique, unbiased understanding of a candidate.

Whether you choose to use graphology or any other assessment method, be sure to answer these 12 vital questions before hiring any employee.

#1: Strengths and Limitations. In order to make a good hire, you need the complete picture of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Where does the candidate excel, and what are the limitations you’ll need to work with if you hire them? Is the candidate exacting? Focused? Self-disciplined? Unwilling to hear feedback? Suspicious and paranoid? Demanding? A problem solver?

#2: Work Ethic. Obviously, dedication to one's work is a trait that every employer is seeking in an employee. Is the candidate motivated? Will he stay on top of things? Is he a control freak and unwilling to take risks? Does he want to have a positive impact? Will he care about your company? Does he have a sense of urgency?

#3: Imagination. It’s important to not overlook or underestimate this trait. Hiring someone without imagination for a creative position, or hiring someone with a ton of imagination for a position that requires none are both disasters. Is the candidate a visionary? Unorthodox? Someone who thinks outside of the box?

#4: Intelligence. You don’t always need the most intelligent person for a position, but you do need to know whether or not a candidate’s intelligence is a good fit for that position. Is he analytical? Curious? Unwilling to admit he doesn't know something? Not likely to do the research needed?

#5: Leadership. Not every position is a leadership position, but whether or not a candidate has leadership traits is something that’s important to identify if you want to place a hire correctly. Will he challenge and motivate people? Will he be pushy? Can he manage others? Will he implement rules and regulations? Follow them?

#6: Judgment. This is an elusive trait that’s hard to identify with traditional methods like resumes, references, and interviews. Will he be practical and cautious? Take risks? Is he a good strategist? Too negative? Does he think he already knows it all? Does he research before making decisions?

#7: Team Player. Your employees do not work in social vacuums and the dynamics of a team make a big difference in productivity. Will he be perceptive of the needs and feelings of others? Is he likely to prevent or create conflict? Is he confrontational? How will he impact team spirit?

#8: Implementation Skills. Resumes can show off skills and experience, but can they tell you how well a candidate is at implementing projects? Is he organized with his implementation? Does he actually get anything done? Is he a multitasker?

#9: Attention to Detail. Will he make mistakes that show in the final product? Is he likely to stay on schedule? Unable to navigate obstacles? Careful and thorough? Sloppy with his work? You’ll want to match the level of attention to detail of candidate to the position they'll be placed in. Imagine hiring a scatterbrained accountant...

#10: Integrity. Everyone says they have it, so assessing a candidate for this can be difficult. Is he honest? Does he take responsibility for his problems? Is he secretive and sly? Will he keep his word? Is he prone to theft and lies?

#11: Communication Skills. This is a trait that’s important to you for many reasons - you want to know how applicants impact team morale, whether or not they’ll have the finesse needed for client relations, how they’ll respond to authority, etc. So, is a candidate articulate? Can he talk to many different kinds of people? Can he communicate in writing? Unable to verbalize his thoughts?

#12: Completion Ability. This is another important trait that traditional employment assessments can’t really unearth. Does the candidate meet deadlines? Is he a hands-on doer? Is he consistent in completing their responsibilities? Is he more likely to push completion off onto others?

Graphology can provide thorough answers to these absolutely necessary questions to ask when hiring an employee. It's not the end-all, be-all solution, and should be used in conjunction with other assessment and screening methods.

However, it's a great, unconventional tool that can provide you with valuable, unique insights.

To get started implementing graphology in your hiring process and learn new strategies for hiring and maintaining excellent employees, give us a call at 410-235-7070 or CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE meeting with one of our expert business mentors.