OPINION: There are numerous criteria you can use for selecting new staff members-whether externally or through an internal promotion process. But how do you know if you've made the right choice?

It's never an easy choice, particularly in today's economic climate when there are often hundreds of CVs to choose from, and many highly qualified candidates. But, at some stage, a IT manager just has to decide which person they are going to employ.

As a senior IT professional, what skills do you look for in new staff members? How much weight do you give to technical versus soft or management skills?

While it will depend upon the role to an extent, skills such as the ability to communicate, work as part of a team, and organise tasks are often important. A team member who has outstanding skills in Java is far more useful if they can also interact with other members of the team and project managers.

Similarly, promotion of highly skilled technical staff can also be an issue. What do you do when one of your programmers expresses an interest in becoming a project manager? How do you decide whether their personal career goals will marry with team and corporate strategies? Not to mention the issue of whether the person is able to make the leap to a more managerial position which will require a range of 'soft' skills.

Probationary periods, identifying existing skillsets and areas for training and development are among approaches that can be taken when faced with this decision. Staff selection is not a simple task and can often be influenced by 'gut instinct' as well as careful assessment of the individual.

As an IT manager, what approach do you take to hiring new team members? What skillsets do you look for in potential employees?

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