The hiring process poses a number of risks to any organization. As a business owner, you have many legal responsibilities under federal employment anti-discrimination laws. You’ll also want to make sure you’re not asking prohibited questions or discriminating against a job applicant based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information. You also want to make sure you’re handling pre-employment screening and inquiries correctly.

That’s why we have assembled a detailed, multi-part education program for our clients called “Work Smart,” filled with documented smart business practices in every area, including hiring. Companies can use this information to build more risk-proof activities and procedures, avoiding potential business risks such as asking prohibited questions during the application process.

When hiring, the ultimate goal of course is to find an employee who is a good fit for your business. No doubt you’ve found some qualities that have worked well within your organization. Beyond skills and education, here are four qualities that research shows that employers should consider looking for while assessing a job applicant:

Adaptability. Change is constant. Look for evidence the applicant can adapt to changing times. Do they view challenging times as opportunities to grow and succeed or are they afraid to take risks? Do they manage change or do they seem to avoid it? Are they annoyed by day-to-day hassles and problems or do they approach them with a cheerful attitude? Are they immobilized by obstacles or do they find a way around them?

Initiative. Do previous employers say the job applicant has a history of volunteering for projects and/or assignments? Does the applicant’s resume suggest he or she seeks out opportunities? Or does he or she do just what is required to get by? In today’s world, you want bright employees with a great work ethic and a can-do attitude.

Empathy. A job applicant may be intelligent, but do they have emotional intelligence? Do they work well with other people? People who regularly seek out opportunities to help other people can be valuable additions to most any team.

A positive attitude. Positive people view challenges as opportunities to learn, adapt, and succeed. Workplace research shows that positive attitudes can be contagious among co-workers, so it’s vital to add enthusiastic and upbeat people to your company.

In many companies, marketing ideas usually originate in departments or outside companies dedicated to that purpose. It’s a business model that’s worked for decades. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Some of the most intriguing and innovative ideas for marketing your company can also come from employees who don’t work in marketing.

Yet how do you gather those types of ideas? Forbes magazine’s Communications Council offers up a number of ways a company’s leadership can encourage employees to contribute great ideas that can help a business grow and succeed.

Use the right tools

From Slack to Microsoft Teams and beyond, there are ways to use technology that’s part of everyday business to leverage ideas as much as managing tasks. Alexi Lambert Leimbach from the company Xcellimark considers how technology can be an avenue for sharing: “People can easily submit ideas and comment on each other’s input, feeding off of the different concepts submitted to help generate even more ideas. They’re able to participate and collaborate without being physically located together.”

Gamify your ideas processes

Be sure to keep it light, but having contests relating to the gathering of ideas, for example, could be a fun way to get creative juices flowing. Patrick Ward of Rootstrap explains that “creating some friendly rivalry … (with rewards) is a great way to get the creative juices flowing.”

Don’t forget to give thanks
It’s important to have a way to give credit where it’s due — and to never skip that step — when a person or team comes up with an idea that’s going to be used. “Even if you had to make major revisions, acknowledgment is critical,” Ellen Sluder of RingBoost told Forbes. “It not only makes the contributor feel good, but also demonstrates the behavior you want from the larger team, while also motivating others to contribute for their moment of glory.”

Provide an avenue
Several of the council’s ideas for outside input on marketing are focused on the fact that it’s important to be open to ideas from anyone and to provide a way for those ideas to be found. Corey Morris from Voltage gives this guidance: “While there are definite roles and lanes to stay in, giving everyone a voice and freedom to research, brainstorm and ideate is critical. Don’t lose that great strategy because it wasn’t their role.”