Hiring new talent isn’t always easy. Finding the right person to fit what your company needs can be tough.
Fortunately, The Computer Merchant is here to help. We work to provide IT staffing services to the technology industry across the United States. We understand that, just like in the Star Wars universe, you need to have the right talent in the right place to succeed. We took a look at some of the heroes and villains from across the galaxy to see who you might encounter in your search for the newest member of your team. Here are a few key takeaways you can use to assess the impact of certain employee strengths and weaknesses during the hiring process.

Finding the Right People for the Job
Like the smugglers and scoundrels in the Star Wars universe, the people in your company have their own strengths and weaknesses. Some employees may thrive in groups while others may prefer to work independently, for example. Many traits are neither good nor bad, becoming positive or negative only in context. Other personality traits — such as honesty, flexibility and reliability — almost always benefit a company.
To choose the right candidate for the job, you need to identify which traits will be most vital to success within the role. For a position that requires managing a team, you might look for candidates with an upbeat attitude, people skills and strong leadership. For a role that has high technical requirements, you may look for a candidate who has the skills, confidence and perseverance to get the job done no matter what.
When hiring for a specific role, consider which soft skills will factor most into success and prioritize those traits when screening candidates. In general, choose candidates with personalities that complement the nature of the position and avoid hiring people whose personality traits may get in the way of their job duties.
Putting a Strong Team Together
There are many key strengths of a good employee, including work ethic, motivation and communication. However, when assembling a team, you need to choose employees whose strengths complement each other’s weaknesses. Consider team composition when making staffing decisions.
A strong team balances compatibility with productivity. Team members should be able to work together effectively toward a common goal, but they should also have unique areas in which they excel so that your company can use staff resources as effectively as possible. In the hostage example below, the team effectively balances talent and strategy with negotiation and people skills.
An effective team balances hard skills with soft skills as well, which is what the example also demonstrates. You need new employees to have strong skills that allow them to begin contributing to the company immediately, but you also need to find employees with soft skills that allow them to fit in with your company culture. If you can’t find a candidate who checks every box on your list of requirements, remember that hard skills can be trained cost-effectively.
Hiring Through an IT Staffing Agency
Finding candidates with the right mix of skills and personality traits can pose challenges for even the biggest companies. Employee strengths can push a team to succeed, while unchecked weaknesses can reduce productivity and team cohesion.
There’s a lot to consider when hiring for tech positions at your company. Hiring through a tech staffing agency can help ensure you find the right fit quickly. At The Computer Merchant, we have 40 years of experience delivering top talent to clients in all 50 U.S. states. With more than 10 million consultant profiles in our database, we can find candidates who meet the demands of any position. Contact us to learn more today. Call (800) 617-6172 for one of our representatives to assist you.