How to Hire Research Staff Posted on December 3, 2007 Patricia Suppes (bio) looks for a half-full outlook in potential hires.

If I were hiring somebody, I probably would look for somebody with at least a master's degree, not so much because the degree is a guarantee of anything, but it implies they’ve done a little more schooling, there’s a little more analytic capacity, little more ability to pull together large bodies of information. Again, no guarantee.

It’s really based on the individual’s capabilities, and one of the main things you look for is somebody who is very organized and who is able to take a problem and solve it, is a problem solver. Obviously, they have to be personable and get along with people, and somebody who is interested in doing the job, and realizing they’re going to have to be learning as they go. Somebody who is capable of continuing to quality improve themselves, and of course, cheerfulness.

Criteria that I look for when I’m hiring someone and I think one of them may seem a bit odd is, of course, I look for competence. I also look for people who tend towards cheerfulness. It’s a tendency to see the glass as half full versus half empty. In general, folks like that are working in a group setting and a team setting on a daily basis. It’s a little easier to get things done, have a better day, and the team as a group works more effectively.

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