You are starting your own company...

I would hire myself. I pride myself for my capability and sense of responsibility. I will employ some CIOs - capable, intelligent and obedient - who I will handpick personally.

I would hire myself. I see everyone who responded would too. Well, I'm a really good employee, honest, hardworking, efficient, gets along well, and of course, drive myself crazy trying to do the best everyday. I have a few past bosses I would hire and a few fellow employees. About 50% of the people I would hire would be at least 40 years and over. I would hire younger employees too, but I think I would have a tendency to be very careful. I've worked with younger professionals I love and some that I could strangle - more so than the older workers. That's just thee way I feel.

It starts with the kind of company I am opening, the first thing is to get qualified people. If I am opening an engineering company. None of my friends could work there, not even me, I do not have a degree in engineering and I don't know anything about the work. So first the people have to be qualified it is not about friends it is about succeeding in the business and also following government rules or I would be shut down. Now if I am only opening a video store or something where just about anyone can do. I live in Quebec, if the personnel are to work here they must speak french, so if my friends don't speak french they cannot work with the public that is the law. Now if the speak english and french yes I would consider them over an outsider. But they have to be good workers or they would be fired. They don't get a free ride just because they are my friends. I am not paying them for doing nothing. Age wouldn\t matter for a video shop but it would if it was a shipping job and they had to lift heavy boxes all day, older or sicker friends would not be able to handle it so I would not necessarily hire them, or if they insisted I might say I will try you out and let's see what happens, if you can do that job lets say after a month then it is yours, if not it would be best for both of us if you looked for something else.

i think i havenever given it a thought. i think i will try to look out for people taht i can trust on. may be I will be happy if i can provide work to some who do not have jobs and are known to me. its not that my best friend who is not suitable and i will chose taht person. the people must be suitable for these.

I think the most important thing to look for in an employee is the willingness to learn, the willingness to work hard, and the willingness to achieve the company's goals. Not so much on talent or credentials or experience. That's what I have learned in my years of being an employee.

I would hire the current myself, but I would think twice hiring the past myself. I wouldn't hire any of my past bosses either, it takes 2 hands to clap, I was bad, they wouldn't be any better. And no, I would not hire my friends. Don't get me wrong, I love them, they are a bunch of nuts. But precisely because they are a bunch of nuts, I would not give them the job. This is a good question, so far I have come across only one interviewer who asked me this question.