Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill

In the recent edition of Inc. Magazine, I read a great article about entrepreneur Joe Cirulli. In short, he developed and manages one of the more successful gym's in the country. He has turned it into a $17 million company and was influential in assisting Gainesville, FL in becoming one of the healthiest communities in the U.S.

Anyway, one of the lines from the article stuck out; "Joe takes very seriously that you should hire for attitude and train for skill." The idea that a company will weigh someone's attitude more heavily than their skill is not necessarily a new concept. In my experience though, I have run into not having enough online marketing experience for a few positions that I was very interested in. While I respect the opinion of those companies, shouldn't they be more concerned with what I would bring to the position, not focusing on what I would not. Online marketing, similar to other marketing aspects can be taught. What cannot be taught is passion, intuition and one's ability to be well-liked and a necessary part of the team.

As my search continues, I am becoming more wary of those saying I don't have the experience necessary to compete with the other applicants. If that was the case, why waste time on a phone call. As I become more frustrated in my search for a job, I am becoming more optimistic that the job I do find will be one that is challenging, stimulating and will allow me to continue my growth as a professional.