Sure, experience and job skills are the basis on which you hire, but it’s just as important to find people with the proper mindset. Even the most experienced person will fail to prosper without the right attitude and communication skills. After all, you can train for skills, but you’ll never be able to teach traits like optimism and empathy. You might want to take a page from a Wharton professor’s book and hire originals .

Hiring the right staff involves getting to know people and building a network long term. So what happens when you stumble upon the ideal employee — smart, confident, and a true go-getter — but you don’t have a headcount? Keep the contact info on file until the budget opens up… or create a position that meets your needs and the candidate’s experience and goals.

Every meeting you have with a customer, vendor, or peer acts as an interview. What does their demeanor tell you? How do they speak of their jobs and colleagues? These interactions — when they’re relaxed and not interview-nervous — offer tremendous insight and are better than any small business hiring guide. Is this person someone you’d like to recruit? (On the flip side, these conversations also act as an ad for your company, so consider what you have on display, too.)

Leaders often gravitate toward like-minded folks, but a vanilla workforce isn’t going to catapult your company to greatness. It’s important to have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions on your team; studies show that having a diverse workplace actually helps your business (Harvard says it drives innovation , and MIT says it can help your bottom line ). You may butt heads here and there, but the end products will be stronger for it.

 

Run your company right — not just by offering a solid product or service, but also by creating a strong culture — and you’ll attract and retain the talent you need. Growing businesses often cannot compete with enterprise salaries, but here’s an important small business hiring tip: offer other attractive benefits. Extra vacation days, negotiable hours, and a childcare policy are just a few way to add appeal. Build culture through unique events like philanthropy, a gift exchange, or company Olympics.