Eight Founders on What They Look For in a High-Quality Job Candidate

If a candidate is proactive or shares a vision for how they'll fit in with your company, these founders say they're worth moving forward to the next round.

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When you're hiring for an open position, you hope to get a wide pool of applicants who have the skills and experience you're seeking. However, as you review that stack of resumes and post-interview notes, it can be difficult to separate the best from the rest -- especially if many meet your qualifications on paper.

To help make that decision easier, we asked a group of successful entrepreneurs to share some clear signs that they believe indicate a high-quality candidate. Here's what they look for in their applicants and why each candidate skill or trait is so important.

Value Alignment

Like many great leaders, Jennifer A. Barnes, founder and CEO of Optima Office, Inc, looks for candidates who align with her personal and company values. She does this by asking unique interview questions that reveal a person's character.

"I love asking how they would spend $5 million after taxes, what their biggest pet peeve is, when the last time they did something new for the first time was or what their favorite place to vacation is," Barnes says.

Read all 8 opinions expressed at Inc.com