“No one has a greater asset for his business than a man’s pride in his work.” – Hosea Ballou
If you truly take pride in your work, you can be a trusted employee. If you take pride in your word being your bond, you can be a trusted friend. Sometimes employers look for people who are best qualified for a job at the present moment, but they overlook the potential employee’s character traits. This is a mistake. Of course, you want to hire qualified/skilled employees, but not if they’re the wrong cultural fit for your organization.
You can teach an eager individual the necessary skill set as long as they are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of handling the job. It’s ok to invest a little extra time upfront for the right long-term fit.
What you often can’t do is get someone to change their nature. If they have a poor attitude, but are capable of doing the job, I wouldn’t want them on the team. Why would you want to potentially be around someone for 40 hours per week if they have a negative attitude? Why would you want to deal with the headache of working with someone who doesn’t care about the result of their efforts? If they won’t take pride in their work, don’t hire them.