Attitude vs. Skills: Why Attitude is Always Better

HR professionals already know that it is easier to measure skills than attitude. Skills can be assessed bases on a number of objective criteria, and can be confirmed quickly on the job. Attitude, on the other hand, is harder to assess objectively, and may not become clear as quickly either. Which is more important in an employee? Attitude is always better than skills.

Workers obviously need certain skills to perform a job. The reality, however, is that given enough time, most workers can learn needed job skills. In fact, as the pace of change increases most organizations find that workers are needing to learn new skills on the job on a continual basis. Skills can be taught and learned.

Attitude has much more to do with career success, performance, and productivity than skills. Attitude can also be much more difficult to improve than skills. An employee with the right attitude will find a way to learn needed skills, and will find a way to be productive in any environment. Conversely, an employee with the wrong attitude will likely underperform regardless of skills, and will be less productive no matter how ideal the work environment.

Attitude is ultimately what motivates people. Once an employee is hired, an employer has limited options to motivate (outside of firing a particularly underperforming employee). Money is the obvious motivator when it comes to jobs, but it is not the only one. Every organization has top-performing people who are motivated by several things; many organizations also have employees who would not work at their full potential regardless of how much they were paid.

Hiring employees who have the right attitude sets the stage for a productive working relationship. Fostering a positive and rewarding work environment can also help to encourage and maintain positive employee attitude. Work environments that are unnecessarily stressful or negative can impact attitude for every worker.

Partnering with a staffing firm can be an effective way to find qualified workers who have the skills and attitude that are needed for success. Outsourcing recruitment allows your organization to focus on what it does best, while using the expertise of recruitment professionals to find the most qualified candidates with the best attitude for the job.

Image By – Antal de Waij