Why is it Important to Consider Attitude Over Qualification? | Ranjini Chakraborty | Director HR | Giesecke + Devrient

Hire An Attitude, Not Experience and Qualification

Did you know? 61% of Indian CHROs and HR leaders have stated talent analytics to be a top priority in 2025, as per a recent KPMG report. As tedious as it is, many experts identify the right talent basis two types of potentials, first who showcase great skills, technical know-how, subject matter expertise or bring great experience. Others portray just the right attitude and exhibit values that align with the core of the organization. Basically, displaying growth mindset which always cuts above the closed mindset.

Why Is It Important to Consider Attitude Over Qualification?

Undeniably, there are some positions that require a specific skill set or experience, however, considering a candidates’ attitude is essential for many reasons –

1. Long-term Success: As per a report by Leadership IQ, 46% of over 20,000 new hires studied said to have failed within first 18 months with only 19% achieving unequivocal success. Surprisingly, lack of technical skill was not the primary reason and in fact, attitudes drove 89% of hiring failures.

An employee with a good, growth-attitude will champion the challenges and achieve their goals.

2. People Represent the Brand-Image: No matter the brand’s product, employees and their attitude reflects your brand image. They are face of your company and that’s how your customers or clients remember you. Anyone with a bad attitude might reflect badly on the organization’s reputation and result in negative online reviews. Further, it also affects the company’s culture if the employees don’t cooperate and is tough to work with.

How to Hire for Attitude?

While recruiting there are multiple factors to keep in mind, but emotional intelligence is one parameter that’s often overlooked. According to Dr Sel Hub’s report, about 71% of employers place emotional intelligence above technical skills while evaluating candidature –

 Ask them the right questions to gauge their attitude: “How do you view failure and how do you respond to it?’, ‘What did you think your last failure was?’ The details they share isn’t what one must seek but how they approach the answer, how they frame it. Do they shift the responsibility on others? Do they have traces of victim mentality, do they discuss how the team could have handled it better or take ownership? All of this consists of showcasing if they possess a growth mentality.

 Identify the Core Culture and the Type of Attitude Needed to Assess: A company employs and recruits for different departments. It is imperative that we know exactly what we’re looking for from the candidates. For instance, a sales role might need an employee who is tenacious, charismatic and persuasive. This might not be the core requirement for a design or accountant’s role.

 Team’s Opinion Matters: While gut feeling and instincts play an important role, it might not be ideal to rely on it every time. To get a more holistic view of the potential employee’s attitude, get multiple people assess it from the team. Every HR professional might think differently while assessing and that might help assess correctly. One might think how they greeted the staff while entering, the other might evaluate how they interact with seniors or peers, yet another might check for their body language. Cross-departmental interviews also help in maintaining if they are fit as per the core-culture and might outline any red herrings that you overlooked.

Can they achieve their goals even with limited resources? Do they see it as a challenge or a hiccup? Do they exhibit flexibility in achieving a task? How do they define success? Do they think about growing with the company or outgrowing it? These are pertinent questions.

In nutshell, experience and qualifications account for a key parameter while recruiting but a bad attitude might also turn out to be the rotten apple in the basket. One negative person in a team might affect the team’s attitude but a problem-solving mindset will always be instrumental to a company’s needs.

Positivity is contagious and organisations would always prefer in building a culture that has the right attitude to pick up the skills if & whenever required. Technical skills can be sharpened over time, the experience can also be learned, but a positive attitude can never be taught.