There’s a fine line between an enthusiastic job candidate and one that reeks of desperation. On one hand, you don’t want to hire someone with a laissez faire attitude toward working at your company, but you don’t exactly want someone who is so frantic to get a job, they are practically exploding with eagerness over the opportunity.

Many employers consider lack of enthusiasm a deal-breaker, but the question remains whether that should always be the case. If a candidate is technically qualified for a job, but seems less-than-enthusiastic about the opportunity, you may be tempted to reject them out of hand. After all, conventional wisdom holds that skills can be taught, but it’s next to impossible to change someone’s natural drive to perform and succeed. An enthusiastic employee is likely to give their all day-after-day, helping to drive the company to greater revenues. 

If you reject an apparently unenthusiastic candidate, you could be making a huge mistake, however, as that person may have been absolutely perfect for the position – and for your company. Before making a critical hiring decision, you must consider that you may have not been seeing the candidate’s true colors when it comes to their enthusiasm level. And there could be some very good reasons behind their inability – or unwillingness – to clue you in on just how excited they are to be interviewing for the position. 

It should go without saying, but you must remember that some people are naturally shy. They may be bumbling over with enthusiasm, but simply unable to communicate that adequately. Granted, some employers steer clear of shy candidates, believing their natural proclivity to introspection may prevent them from working well with others, but you must remember that shy people often make better employees, as they spend less time gossiping around the water cooler and engaged in unnecessary inner-office emails. 

At the same time, a candidate may have been excited beyond belief to be interviewing for the job, but merely afraid they would appear desperate if they came across as too enthusiastic. Therefore, they may have tempered their enthusiasm – perhaps a bit too much – and unintentionally come across as disinterested. 

During the interview process, if a candidate doesn’t seem suitably interested in the job, try engaging them in a conversation that may elicit their true level of interest. If they still seem somewhat lackluster about the position, you can just come right out and say, “I’m getting the impression you’re not particularly enthusiastic about the job.” That gives the job seeker the opportunity to tell you how they really feel about the opportunity. It’s far better to make your final hiring decision based on the truth, rather than merely assuming a shy – or cautious – candidate isn’t excited about working for you.

In the not too distant past, tennis great Andre Agassi starred in a series of television commercials in which he proclaimed, “Attitude is everything!” That tagline referred to the young, long-haired tennis star’s renegade outlook, one which went so far as to prevent him from competing at Wimbledon for several years because he refused to give up his bold-colored tennis clothes for the all-white clothes required of the prestigious tournament’s competitors.

Eventually, Agassi relented – and won Wimbledon, to boot. But that doesn’t mean his mantra of “Attitude is Everything” was wrong. Time and again, studies have shown that attitude means a lot. When it comes to hiring new employees, attitude could be even more important than skills and experience, as attitude has now been recognized as the key driver of new hire success.

According to a Leadership IQ study of 20,000 new hires over a three-year period, 46 percent failed within their first 18 months. Eighty-nine percent of the time, they failed due to attitudinal reasons such as lack of coachability, low levels of emotional intelligence, motivation and temperament. Lack of skill was the cause of the failure just 11 percent of the time. These findings have led a growing number of savvy leaders to shift their focus from hiring for skills to hiring for attitude.

Let us be clear: Hiring for attitude does not mean you can forego skills, experience, and requisite training. When it comes to deciding between two (or more) otherwise equal candidates, however, you might want to err on the side of attitude.

How exactly does one “hire for attitude,” you ask? Begin by identifying the specific attitudes that lead to success in your unique corporate culture and then look for those attitudes among candidates.

Take Southwest Airlines, for example. Often cited as a Great Place to Work, Southwest is known for creating a fun environment and encouraging its people to be a bit outrageous. One famous story involves a hiring manager who asked a group of potential new Southwest pilots to don a pair of Bermuda shorts for the interview. Many of the pilots found the suggestion preposterous and refused to put on the shorts, which were actually part of the airline’s summer uniform. Those pilots immediately took themselves out of the running, as the hiring manager concluded they may be great pilots, but would never fit into the airline’s fun-loving culture.

Technical skills can be acquired through training and confirmed through testing, but attitude is either there to begin with or it isn’t. Consider the words of former Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher: “We can change skill levels through training, but we can’t change attitude.”

When looking for a job, you may find it reassuring to come across a company that states it is “always looking” for talented people. Such notices are usually incredibly vague, however. There’s no job description and no indication of whether they actually have any openings at the moment. They usually only include an email address and phone number for inquiries. And they typically only include an email address and phone number for inquiries.

Understandably, many job seekers wonder if such ads are for real. More specifically, they wonder if it would be worth their time and effort to answer one. If they decide to pursue such a vague opportunity, should they call the listed phone number or take the liberty of emailing a full resume and cover letter, expressing their interest in any suitable openings?

The good news is that people do actually get jobs through these kinds of ads. However, such employers are typically looking for only the “best of the best.” In other words, the average candidate will never find a job this way. In fact, their inquiry is likely to be met with stony silence. To garner the interest of an employer placing this kind of ad, a candidate needs to really stand out from the rest of the pack. That means a stellar resume and compelling cover letter.

Typically, companies place “We’re always looking for talent people” ads for one of the following reasons: 

• They suspect a key player is going to be leaving soon and they want to identify some potential replacements ahead of time.
• They want to build a database of potential future employees.
• They are truly in need of people with key skills and are eager to hire.

If you see this kind of ad and are tempted to inquire of the company, you must first ask yourself if you are truly the kind of stand-out candidate they are probably looking for. If you honestly believe you are a solid candidate who possesses key, marketable skills, then go ahead and take a shot. Don’t waste your time cold-calling, however. Chances are you will prejudice the hiring manager against you simply because you unknowingly called at an inconvenient time. What’s more, they won’t know anything about you because they have not yet had the opportunity to review your credentials. Instead, send a resume and cover letter explaining what you have to offer. Even if they are not ready to hire anyone right now, if you make a good impression, they may remember you the next time a suitable opening arises.

Getting the right person for the job starts with writing an effective job description. These days, that entails much more than getting all the facts right. It means writing a job description that stands out amongst all the rest. Particularly when it comes to tech-savvy Generation Y (aka the Millennials), job descriptions must be ultra-appealing. They have to speak to the individual and give them a reason to apply for a job with your company.

After all, this is the “everybody gets a trophy generation.” Some generational experts have branded them the most spoiled generation in history. They are used to being given what they want. Now, it’s your job to make them want a job with your company – and to want it so badly they will actually go out of their way to pursue it.

Millennials want to feel like they are part of something important right out of the gate. The concept of “paying your dues” couldn’t be more foreign to them. So make sure to describe why the position matters to the company and where it stands in the grand scheme of things. Be clear about the importance of the role this individual will play once they are hired. And don’t forget to include how much they will be interacting with decision-makers.

Members of Generation Y are expected to job-hop more than their predecessors. Paradoxically, however, they are incredibly brand loyalty. Start building their loyalty to your brand right off the bat. Use your job description to explain why they should want to work for you. Woo them and seek to make them fall head over heels in love with your company. Avoid jargons and clichés and get to the point when describing your ideal candidate.

There’s no doubt that salary and benefits are important to a Millennial. After all, surveys have shown they expect something in the neighborhood of $75,000 starting pay. But they are also savvy enough to recognize that a job can benefit them in other ways, too. So be sure to describe the skills they will gain, the professional connections they will make, and the opportunities they will have to grow and advance within the company. Be sure to mention the other fringe benefits, like gym memberships and flexible work hours, too.

Finally, take the opportunity to tell your company story and explain your vision for the person who gets the job. Make sure you do it quickly, however. Generation Y has no patience for rambling, off-the-shelf, stodgy old mission statements. They want something short, to-the-point, and catchy. Think of it this way: This is the generation that grew up having conversations via text message. Short-hand and slogans are their language.

When searching for a job, it becomes easy to view each hiring manager as the enemy. After all, they are the gatekeeper, the one who is keeping you from attaining your dream job (or in this economy, any job). Yet, it’s important to remember that they are in very much the same position as you – just in reverse. You have certain skills, training and expertise you wish to put to work for the benefit of a particular company. And they have been charged with finding someone who possesses the requisite skills, training an expertise that will drive the business and generate greater profits. Making the two come together in a mutually pleasing conclusion is simply a meeting of the minds.

The first thing you absolutely must understand is that the hiring manager is under a great deal of pressure to deliver just the right person for the job. Unless you are interviewing with an extremely small company, chances are you won’t find yourself sitting down with the CEO. That means the person interviewing you has to answer to someone. They aren’t about to jeopardize their job by taking a chance on an under-qualified or otherwise questionable candidate. As a result, they are going to ask the tough questions, make you prove yourself, and then perform the proper due diligence to verify that you are just as great as you say you are.

In nearly every instance, you come into an interview as a complete unknown. Your job is to make the interview feel comfortable and confident about hiring you. They are not trying to be the bad guy – or gal – they are simply seeking to assure themselves that you will be able to perform in the job in question. At the same time, their hiring decision must be one that leaves them feels safe and secure in their own career. Again, that’s why they are not about to take a chance on an unproven individual.

That’s not to suggest you must be absolutely perfect and possess a flawless job record to boot. Hiring managers understand that no one is perfect. Everyone has weaknesses and shortcomings. For that reason, you will find yourself answering questions about weaknesses, shortcomings, and difficult situations you encountered. For you, the trick lies in turning a negative into a positive. Maybe you were once assigned to manage the account of a company whose industry was a complete mystery to you. That may have been a shortcoming, but you can still win the hiring manager over if you share a gripping account of how you dove in, thoroughly researched not only the company, but its industry and key competitors, and then helped them achieve great things.

Finally, remember that the hiring manager is looking for a solution to specific pain points the company is currently facing. Once you are in the interview environment, pay close attention to what they say and ask a few probing questions of your own. Seek to uncover those pain points and then convince the hiring manager that you are the remedy, the one person that can relieve all that ails them.

Looking to hire a “star” employee? Of course, you are! Deep down, that’s every employer’s dream for star employees tend to outperform everyone around them. So even if you have to pay them more, you still end up getting so much work and ingenuity out of them, it turns out to be a wise investment in the end. 

The problem lies in attracting star employees when you don’t necessarily have a dream job to offer them. After all, star employees are in demand and can basically write their own ticket. They don’t have to take just any old job offer. They can pick and choose and wait for the right opportunity to show up on their door step.

The secret lies in hiring those people who don’t yet know they are stars. Sound difficult? It can be, but there are a few tips you can follow to help you determine who has what it takes to someday be the kind of employee you have to worry about your competitors poaching. 

1. Recruit Mediocrity – On the surface, that may sound counterintuitive, but experience has shown that mediocre students often have a sixth sense about what really matters in life. Sure, they may not have been motivated by the prospect of impressing their professors and racking up stellar grades, but when it comes to earning a decent salary, they are generally ready to kick it into high gear.
2. Seek the Well-Read – A well-developed interest in reading – anything, everything! – displays a natural curiosity and level of engagement. It doesn’t really matter if they read comic books, romance novels, or Guitar Player magazine, the important thing is that they read.
3. Test them Out – Before hiring someone, have them take the Myers-Briggs test. You will gain incredible insight into how they will perform on the job by finding out if they are an introvert or extrovert, etc. This can be particularly helpful if you are looking to hire a natural born leader.
4. Become Their Mentor – New to the workforce, college grads often feel lost because the real world is different from what they have envisioned. They need someone to guide them and help them feel their way through new territory. Show them from the beginning that you have a true interest in their career development and they just may blossom into a star, even if they are stuck in a decidedly non-dream job for the time beginning.
5. Pile on the Responsibilities – From their first day on the job, give your potential future superstar a massive amount of responsibility. See how they respond. If they dive in headfirst without asking questions or balking at the enormous amount of work before them, chances are they will fail. Once they have fallen on their face, do they look to try again? If so, you probably make a good choice. Most people who are destined for greatness consider their own failures a tremendous learning experience.

An unseasonably warm winter and a downright hot spring have many employers thinking about summer. For many organizations, summertime brings the specter of seasonal hiring. The good news is there are plenty of talented people out there just chomping at the bit for a summer job — if you know how – and where – to look.

Unfortunately, small companies often feel they are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting summertime help, simply because they don’t have the same reach as a major employer. While it’s true that large companies have broader resources for casting a wide net, there’s no reason why small companies can’t have a successful seasonal recruitment effort, too.

Successful seasonal hiring requires a well-thought-out process, based upon the following key principles:

Begin Early: While it may be difficult to start thinking about summer when the snow is still falling, it’s best to start planning for seasonal hires as early as possible. Savvy companies begin the process in January, seeking to lock in the best people before someone else snatches them up. This strategy is particularly helpful when you are looking to hire high school or college students, as they feel a sense of security going into their spring semester knowing they have a summer job already lined up.

Be Choosey: Last year’s summer job market was an employer’s dream. High unemployment rates led many terrific employees to seek out seasonal jobs as a means of making ends meet. Employers were clearly in the driver’s seat, receiving countless applications for each open position. That gives them the opportunity to pick and choose to their liking, never having to settle for a substandard hire.

Extend Your Search: When looking for professional entry-level hires, it’s tempting to gear your recruitment efforts towards Harvard, Stanford, and other top-notch schools. It’s important to remember that smaller, lesser known schools also produce desirable candidates, so be sure to reach out to them as well.

Act Quickly: Once you’ve identified someone you wish to hire, make the offer immediately. Any worthwhile candidate is likely to be deluged with offers, so you must act quickly if you want them to commit to your company in advance.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute to start looking – or to make your hiring decisions. Even in today’s job market, that could be a fatal mistake, as you just may find yourself heading into the summer months without a sufficient staff to deliver warm weather success.

Imagine you are a hiring manager weeding your way through applicants for a job listing. Each day, you find yourself deluged with another hefty batch of resumes from would-be employees. In many instances, a quick glance is all it takes to tell you whether that person should be offered an interview or not. But within that stack, you come across a number of resumes which are simply too long to be sized up with just a look. They run three, four, even five pages. You find yourself turned off by those applicants before you’ve even had a chance to review their qualifications.

Just how long should a resume be anyway? While the answer varies from candidate to candidate, there are some general rules of thumb. Rarely is it acceptable to submit a resume longer than two pages. If you have exceeded two pages, it’s time to take a second look with an eye toward trimming your resume back.

 Here are some tips: 

• Be Concise – Your resume is not an autobiography. It’s not even intended to reflect everything you’ve ever accomplished. You need not include every job you’ve held and every skill you’ve acquired. Think of it as a snapshot. If the employer wants to see more, they can ask for your entire portfolio.
• Be Current – A long career full of accomplishments is certainly impressive, but when it comes to writing a resume, it’s often best to leave off your oldest roles. Most employers won’t care what you did 20 years ago. And while blatant age discrimination may be illegal, pointing out that you entered the workforce before many of today’s college grads were even born only draws attention to the fact that you are rapidly approaching retirement.
• Be Specific – Too many people attempt to write a “one-size-fits-all” resume. This is a big mistake. Rather than trying to make your resume fit any position, you should instead customize it for the specific job you are seeking. Identify your target audience and the target position to help you decide what skills and experience to highlight. Then set out to summarize the most applicable items, usually in bullet point format. 
• Be Choosey – As recently as the 1980s, it wasn’t unusual to see a resume that included such details as marital status, church membership, and community activities. These days, it’s widely accepted that such details fall into the category of too much information. For the most part, it’s best to leave them off. If you feel civic involvement adds something to your story – demonstrating how you used your professional qualifications to benefit the community, for example – you may wish to include that on your resume. Proceed with caution, however, as highlighting any activities that point to involvement with specific religious, political, or radical groups may be ill-advised.

Much like the synopsis on a book’s dust jacket, a job description is intended to generate interest by providing a few critical insights into what is contained inside. Specifically, it provides clear and concise summary of the responsibilities and requirements of the job in question. Not only are job descriptions used to advertise for new employees, they are also a key component of the performance review process, as they allow the employer to compare the employee’s performance to the expectations which were set forth when they were hired.

Job descriptions typically consist of the following components: title, summary of the position, essential duties and responsibilities, qualifications, terms of employment, the title of the person to whom the employee will directly report, and any special considerations, such as working conditions or physical demands that may be out of the norm. The last piece of information is crucial in that it will be used to monitor compliance with the ADA.

It’s critical for an employer to write accurate and appropriate job descriptions. Here are some tips for ensuring that your job descriptions not only provide you with a pool of qualified candidates, but help build your company’s reputation. 

• Be Concise – The goal is to write a useable document, not the great American novel. Avoid the temptation to ramble on needlessly. Don’t make a seemingly endless list of responsibilities, for example. Limit yourself to a manageable number of duties, typically six or eight. You will find the description much more user-friendly if you keep it short and to the point.

• Be Specific – Don’t merely state that you need someone who is “computer literate.” Rather, state exactly what programs (Microsoft Word, Excel, QuickBooks, etc.) you need them to know. Likewise, if the person you are hiring will be responsible for administrative duties, list the specific duties you will need them to perform. Also be sure to state what level of proficiency you require. Use qualifiers like “basic,” “intermediate” and “advanced” to reflect exactly what you are seeking in a candidate or employee.

• Be Generic – Avoid gender-based language, even if your workforce is predominantly one sex or the other. After all, how would you feel if you were a male nursing professional reading a job description that consistently refers to “she” or “her duties?” Likewise, a female construction worker might be put off by a job description that is clearly geared toward men. Far better to take the modern –some might say politically correct – route and be gender neutral. After all, you want to attract the best candidate, regardless of gender.

When appropriately written, a job description can be a powerful tool as it relates to numerous aspects of the employment relationship. Take advantage of these tips to draft the kind of job description which will give your organization a competitive edge by attracting qualified candidates, conducting effective performance reviews, and boosting your company’s reputation.

It’s no secret companies have taken to the Net when conducting due diligence on a potential new employee. From LinkedIn to Facebook to simple Google searches encompassing every single appearance on the Web, nothing is sacred. That includes every embarrassing photo, as well as every Tweet and message board comment you’ve ever posted. Some hiring managers have even been known to review candidates’ Amazon.com wish lists. If that doesn’t concern you, either you’ve lived the life of Mother Teresa or you are completely oblivious to the potential damage you’ve done to your career.

If you’re getting a little hot around the collar, relax. I’m not trying to pass judgment on your Internet activities. The goal here is to help you overcome any online transgressions or ill-advised postings so that potential employers won’t get a negative impression of you based on what they find on the Web. The goal is to craft an online identity that reflects positively upon you as a professional.

A good starting point is to ask yourself what a potential employer would find if they were to Google your name. If you have a common name, this question may be complicated by the fact that they are likely to uncover the digital trail of many individuals in addition to you. However, they can narrow their search by filtering by location, previous jobs, etc. If you honestly don’t know how you come across on the Web, try Googling yourself. Chances are you’ve done it already, but it’s always a good idea to keep close tabs on your online presence.

If you find “digital dirt” – that is, information, comments, or images you would rather a potential employee not see – there is often nothing you can do to scrub your online reputation. In some instances, you can delete content, but for the most part, the best approach to seek to smother the dirt with positive, professional content. You should immediately start creating new and content presenting yourself as a capable professional. If you have published journal articles, add links to those sites to your LinkedIn and Facebook pages. Tweet your insights into trends and news stories that are relevant to your industry. You must be patient, however, because it can take time to achieve the desired balance.

You can further enhance your online reputation by posting a professional photo of yourself on every one of your profiles. That means a headshot taken by an actual professional photographer, not a snapshot taken by your cousin during that wild weekend in Miami. Seek to feature anything that points to involvement in community activities or that demonstrates stellar communication skills. By all means, seek to delete any previous comments that could be interpreted as critical of a former employer. Nothing turns off a potential employer faster than the possibility of hiring someone who is likely to damage their reputation.