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Data security has become a critical factor for many businesses. People often hire for a skillset, educational background, or previous employment experience. Consider the soft skills that come into play regarding data security, and how people lacking those soft skills can compromise your security.

Bad Attitude

The interview went over well. They seemed personable, and then it all fell apart during orientation or shortly after. According to The Hire Talent, in a study of nearly 20,000 businesses, 46 percent of all new hires failed within their first eighteen months. Eighty-nine percent of those new hires failed for attitudinal reasons. When you’re looking at job candidates, it’s well worth the time to ask a few questions that can provoke the person’s true attitude to become visible. 

Although many interviews will try to probe with questions such as, “Why did you leave your last job?” That’s a good leading question, but asking more specific questions that almost beg for a negative answer can be a lot more telling. Try asking, “What disappointed you most about your last employer’s company culture?” or “What qualities did you wish your previous boss had?”

Poor Tech Savvy

From phishing emails to writing down passwords people who are just not tech savvy can put your security at risk. Simply opening an Excel attachment can launch a macro that takes down your system, leaving your team with weeks of recovery work. Look for the basics of tech savvy:

  • Confidently handling emails
  • Knowing how to identify phishing, scam, or otherwise compromising email interactions
  • A cursory understanding of keyboard shortcuts and other time-saving methods of using technology
  • Touch typing ability rather than keyboard pecking

According to Top Echelon, you can test for these skills as part of an employment screening. You should take careful steps to implement these qualifications into your job description and open position posting as well.

Unwillingness to Learn

If you want to ensure that your business’ security is safe, Gravett and Associates suggests that you should find someone who’s willing to learn and grow. Data and technology are constantly changing, and if you have a candidate that isn’t willing to progress, you’re wasting your time. Particularly when working as, or working with, smaller IT service providers an unwillingness to learn can impact nearly every area of the job. You need someone who will pay attention during training, when reading emails, and particularly when the IT industry is experiencing any major change.

You need someone who can not only perform the base functions of the position but ensure security as well. If a job candidate compromises the integrity of your data or falls prey to a malicious attack, it likely falls back to the lack of a necessary soft skill such as a positive attitude or a desire to learn.

If you need more advice on how to keep your business’ data security safe, consider booking a business IT consulting session with us!