In fact, according to a study conducted by Leadership IQ, 46% of newly-hired employees fail within 18 months. The reasons? The study reported that “26% of new hires fail because they can’t accept feedback, 23% because they’re unable to understand and manage emotions, 17% because they lack the necessary motivation to excel, and 15% because they have the wrong temperament for the job.” Here’s the kicker: only 11% failed because they lacked the necessary technical skills.

The lesson? To avoid the risk of a bad hire, it’s critical that you focus on attitude during the hiring process. Here are some tips that can help:

• Evaluate your company’s culture and determine the kinds of personalities that are the best fit for it.
• Take a look at the job description and determine the necessary personality traits (e.g. self-starter, independent, etc.) needed to hit the ground running in the position.
• Also, take a look at your star performers in similar positions. What are their attitudes like and what traits make them so successful?
• In addition, if you had an employee with the right fit attitude, but not a lot of experience, how much time would you be willing to give them to gain the necessary knowledge and skills? How would you go about helping them do so?

Once you’ve determined the “type” of person needed to fill the position, develop a list of interview questions that will help you evaluate each candidate’s attitude.

• For instance, ask in what kind of work environment they are most productive and happy. If a candidate is happier in a quiet, more formal culture, then a loud and casual work environment may not be the best fit for them.
• Also, ask how they cope with unexpected obstacles. You’re looking for candidates with a positive attitude, persistence, and strong problem solving skills. Answers that indicate otherwise could be a red flag.
• Another important question to ask is how they’ve handled personality conflicts at work, whether it was with a boss or co-worker. The best answers are those that demonstrate a commitment to the team and the company, and the ability to work towards the completion of goals, despite personality conflicts.

Obviously, the exact questions you ask are going to depend on the type of position you’re trying to fill and the kind of attitude necessary to thrive within your culture. But hopefully the tips above offer a good starting point in helping you to evaluate attitude. And if you’d like some additional help with your hiring process, please contact Provisional. As a leading staffing services firm in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we can help you recruit, screen, and hire candidates with the right skills – and the right attitudes – for your company.

#1. Set the tone among your staff.
You don’t want rumors running rampant in the office. So be as honest as possible with employees about where the company stands. Explain both the challenges and opportunities that will be faced in the near future. Always try to be as reassuring and transparent as possible.

#2. Get your employees involved in problem solving.
Make sure your employees understand how their individual jobs connect to the bigger picture. Then ask them for feedback and help in reducing inefficiencies, cutting costs, and increasing profits.

Engaging your employees in this way will help them to feel more invested in the company. Plus, since they’re on the front lines everyday, they may be able to offer you a more accurate idea of what’s working and what’s not in their individual departments or positions.

#3. Hire top talent.
For some companies, hiring is out of the question right now. But for others, the recession is an ideal time to hire since there are more qualified employees on the job market than ever before. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking you can recruit A-level talent at a B-level salary. If you do, as soon as the economy picks up, that talent will be out the door, in search of greener pastures.

#4. Keep critical talent happy.
Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the mindset that employees are happy to just have a job during a recession. But the reality is that cuts, freezes, and layoffs may cause some of your critical talent to look for opportunities elsewhere. So it’s important to keep them happy – whether it’s through a promotion, bonus, or employee recognition program.

#5. Seek out new opportunities.
A recession may not sound like the best time to take on new initiatives, but if you’re going to emerge from the slowdown in a stronger position, you need to remain competitive.

So look for situations where your competition is unable to address customer needs and enlist your employees to go after those customers. Or ask staff members to spend some time now to research and develop new products or services. Even if you can’t afford to launch anything at the moment, doing the legwork now will reduce the time to market later. In addition, employees will feel energized and reassured by these plans for growth.

If you’re searching for additional strategies for managing employees in a downturn, please contact Provisional. As the Northwest’s leader in specialized recruiting and staffing services, we have plenty of tips and advice we can offer related to effective employee management techniques. We can also help you recruit high quality talent for your company.