Hire the Person, Not the Skills

As the manager of a small business, you get to wear many hats.  (Aren't we lucky!) Very often the director of a small library is the business manager, facilities supervisor, office manager, staff development coordinator, collection development selector and the press agent.  It's never boring!

Among these titles, the library director is also, often, the HR manager.  You need to oversee, if not carry out, the hiring, training, evaluations and quite possibiliy the firing of staff. It may be one of the toughest parts of the job. Having to interview and evaluate potential staff, current staff and sometimes even volunteers is difficult.

I learned a concept in my MLS studies that I have since been able to internalize and has been of great help during the process of hiring.  Here it is - Hire the person, not the skills.  I have been able to gain a lot of insight into the hiring process by this one statement.  Hire the person, not the skills. 

In other words, if you need a desk person, hire the person whose personality and demeanor are best suited for working with the public.  You can train them to work the catalog, the computer or any other machines & software needed.  You cannot teach them to LIKE working with the public.  If you need a processing and catalog person, look for someone who loves details and is perfectly fine working in a back room most of the day.  You can teach them the process of how to add items, how to correct mistakes and how to print labels.  You cannot teach them how to like working solo if they are social butterflies.  When you interview, ask questions about them and who they are.  You can see their skills, their talents and their experiences on the resume, find out about them.  Evaluate whether or not they will fit into your current staff dynamic, will they interact well with your customers and, most importantly, are they willing to be a part of the team and not the franchise player and star. 

So today's advice for the HR director in all of you is Hire the Person, Not the Skills.  I have found this more than sound advice and hope that you do as well.