One of the activities we are constantly involved in is sizing up people. Whether at work or outside of work, whenever we meet someone, we are judging them, trying to take their measure. It is not an easy task, since people are complex, and there are often many different signals we get from them.

When companies are looking to hire someone and they want to get some idea of what kind of person an applicant is, the company usually relies on a more objective, tangible metric, such as a person’s grades in school, their job title, how they have performed in the past.

And while these indicators are important in gaining an idea of a person’s skills, they are relatively crude indicators of a person’s attitude and character. To gain insight into these more subtle and complex qualities, it is necessary to spend some time with a person, to talk with them  and really listen to what they have to say. But when you do this, what kinds of things should you look for?

One is how much time do they spend talking and how much listening? If they spend the majority of the time talking, that could signal a trait that is problematic. It may be that they have an exaggerated sense of their own importance and feel that they are the only person with valuable opinions.

Is the person someone who brings out the best in others, or someone who spreads a more negative feeling? A person who is open and generous with others brings with them a feeling of optimism that is infectious.

Is the person someone who tackles a new assignment with enthusiasm or someone who cringes at what might go wrong or what mistakes might be made? Is the person someone who is comfortable in his own skin, someone not afraid to be himself, or someone who feels he has to flatter people to fit in or get attention?

Has the person overcome obstacles and dealt with hardship? How someone handles adversity says a lot about his or her character. And finally, what is the person reading, and how much do they read? This also can tell you a lot about the person and their attitudes. Reading often exposes people to new ideas and opinions, and so those who read more are generally more aware and interesting people.

If you are looking for top-notch temporary employees in New York City, Winston Resources can find them for you. Contact us to find out what we can do for you.