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Finding Good People (especially when you're looking for "new")
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DON'T LOOK AT THE RESUME! As Robert "Bo" Bennett says, "If finding good people were as easy as choosing ones with the best resume, human resource managers would have the easiest job in the company.

"What is a resume? Basically it is a written exaggeration of only the good things a person has done in the past, as well as a wish list of the qualities a person would like to have." It's basically an applicants mission-plan (or at least 'as much of the mission-plan as is pertainent to your company.')

"To find good people," Bo says, "you need to value people for what they can do, not for what they have done.

"...(remember ABCDE).

"A - Ability. Does the applicant have the ability to do the job? If they are doing the job now on their own or for someone else, that is usually a good indication that they do possess the ability. Here is where we do need to look at history. Have they done the job in the past? Or have they just been trained to do this job?

"B - Belief. Does the applicant believe that they can do the job, and do the job well? What is the confidence level of the applicant? Do they say "I guess I can do it" or "Not only can I do the job, but I will be sure to do it better than anyone else!"

"C - Character. This is a big one. I do not care how qualified a person may be, or even if I do believe that a person can make the company a lot of money, if the person has a lousy attitude, is dishonest, or otherwise does not have good character (by my standards) I will not consider making the person part of the team. It is true that one bad apple can spoil the bunch.

"D - Desire. Is the person applying for the job simply because they need the money? If money were not an issue, would they do the job for free? The person who can find pleasure in their work, no matter what the work may be, is the kind of person I want working on my team.

"E - Enthusiasm. It is amazing the difference in performance between a team that watches the clock waiting for the end of the day, and a team that is enthusiastic about accomplishing an objective. People who are or who can become enthused are not only more productive, but a great influence on other members of the team.
Together, all of these factors help me to determine the applicant's overall potential to do the job."

Bo goes on to say that he isn't discounting ALL background-checks! You are putting some of your 'good worth' in the hands of the applicants, but not in their hands NOW, not 'their hands as the attended college' or 'their hands in their years of past experience!'
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"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." - Confucius
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Value people on their potential, not on their history.

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