How to make the right hire

Staffing experts offer these four tips for managers scratching their heads over which candidates to bring on board.

1. Ask a lot of questions. "Can this person do what their resume says they have done? Will they fit into the culture of our company and my department? Do they have the soft skills to work within our environment? If they are capable technically, are we going to be able to keep them happy, and for how long?" asks Brendan Courtney, senior vice president and group executive at Spherion Professional Services.

2. Think about the long haul. "During the interview process, we are seeing more of a shift toward hiring for the future," says Bill Haiges, manager of recruitment, training and development at IT consultancy Dimension Data North America. "Ask applicants what their long-term goals are. Figure out whether there are opportunities now or opportunities that might exist down the road to match those goals. It doesn't make sense to hire someone if you can't keep them long term."

3. Scout out team players. "Look for experience in software development in a team environment, hopefully as a team leader, ideally as a project manager," suggests Jim Leone, a professor and chairman of the IT department at Rochester Institute of Technology.

4. Take a look around. "The most cost-effective strategy for hiring managers is to draw on [your] own pool of talent," notes Erik Dorr, senior research adviser at The Hackett Group, a strategic advisory firm in Atlanta. "Development of internal career paths and training curricula is critical. Being well-positioned inside the organization is important."