Who Would You Hire?

I went with Greg, for the reason he is most likely to get the immediate task done - a critical examination of the current product. If that's the only task he gets to before he moves on, then at least a critical need will have been met. Any further retention of Greg by the company would be pure bonus.

Greg is the man. He will bring talent, motivation, technical know-how, drive, communication skills, trouble shooting skills, manage vendors, leadership skills and take the company into the next phase of technology.

I would choose Jane because the job and the company seem fairly stable (i.e., they don't really change that much), the position calls for someone with good people skills and the ability to troubleshoot and make decisions as quickly and thoughtfully as possible. Also, I did not get the impression that Jane would have difficulty learning new skills and technology. If anything, I take would assume that she has amassed quite a few skills over the years and must have mastered them. Otherwise, she would have been booted out of her last job.

As someone already pointed out, Trevor is young and willing, but he lacks experience at this point. So this job would be too much for him without some degree of mentorship and training.

Greg would have been the ideal employee - except this job seems fairly limited in career growth. Likewise, the company is small, and doesn't seem to be concerned about growing any larger. Greg would top out after a few months, become bored - and then there would be nowhere for him to go, technology-speaking. Greg, I think, would make an excellent consultant or contract worker for this company. Let's face it - after he has fought whatever fires that have arisen, the company won't really need him, and neither will he need them.

If all we know about the applicant is written in the article, this is what I feel:

Trevor: He brings a willing heart, may/may not be easy to teach and you may save some money hiring him, but this position needs an independent, experienced and error-free (relatively) decision making mind, which Trevor won't have (prepare to babysit). Also young people, in my experience, are quicker to jump ship at the slightest bump in the road. Also troubleshooting problems is a skill acquired thru years of work, not given by diploma.
We have the money so why am I buying the lower end of the scale, think I will PASS!

Greg: He brings years of good experience, is a top notch problem solver, plus a go-getter. Ready made for the job it seems. Why is he now applying for a much lower responsibility than his previous job? And what's the story on the job hopping? If I felt there was major personality clashes in store too, then I'd have to PASS!

Jane: She brings loyalty, competence and personality. Great! LIke Trevor, where are the technical troubleshooting skills, since she's mostly been an administrator? Why did she apply for a troubleshooting/analysis job? She might work better in the HR dept, so for this job again I'll PASS!

Now if these three represent the best candidates and we are forced to choose among them, I'd do this:
Give each candidate a full week of 40 hours to work in the position. After each week is over ask each candidate to report their position and then poll the *other* employees about various aspects of candidate work performance and helpfulness.

From the gathered information, make your decisions.

With this method, I get valuable work performed and the candidates get paid plus we find a much better fit for our company (which is our main priority).

Greetings,

Your articles are always thought-provoking, that's why I enjoy reading you.

I am surprised at how many people voted but how little cared to explain their choice.

Dare a person to make a decision : Making one is easy, explain IT is a whole other thing...

Have Fun ! (tm)

Jean-François Thivierge
Windows IT pro