The economy is in no way fully recovered from the recession, but some companies are finding even a slight uptick in business and eventually (if not already) they will need to hire.

If the prospect of hiring makes you want to run away screaming, you’re not alone. It’s a tough process that often feels like a crapshoot where you won’t really know if you made the right decision until the person has already put a picture frame and a potted plant on the desk.

But with some careful planning and forethought you can up your chances of making a smart hire. One of the first steps is to determine the job’s qualifications – what exactly do you need? What should the employee be able to do? What skills are necessary?

Also, think about what’s more important to you and your organization: technical skill level, personality, the ability to get along with others or fit within the company and its structure. For a position that requires a great deal of teamwork, you may be more interested in someone who is a team player and can learn some of the skills needed for the job.

Here are some good tips in this blog post “Seven Steps to Smarter Hiring,” which includes watching for red flags and really taking the time to delve deep into a person’s background.

What have you learned when hiring employees? What are the most important questions to ask a job candidate?