> I.e. you want someone who just wants "a job" and doesn't necessarily want to move on from it.
> Meaning: you must pay them quite well, and not work them too terribly hard. Remember that this is someone who works to live. Give them firm boundaries and time off.
Most people’s gut reaction is probably to hire someone under intern like conditions.
Ie a young candidate whose main motivation is getting something on their resume and therefore will suck up to you and go the extra mile. OP recommends the opposite: someone who doesn’t go the extra mile, but will be stable and reliable for a very long time.
Think about it. People going the extra mile do it because they want to go beyond what they do. They risk burn-out - in which case they can't do their job anymore - or they move on - in which case you lose an employee and have to find another one.
"Intern-like conditions" has an undertone of exploitation to it; nobody should be exploited.
The paying to encourage them to stick around is intuitive, but lots of people take the approach of "I want to hire someone ambitious who wants to progress, and who is willing to work extra hours where required to get the job done because they have a personal drive/desire to succeed"
The advice here is effectively "find someone who doesn't have strong career aspirations and ensure they aren't working outside of working hours".
> Meaning: you must pay them quite well, and not work them too terribly hard. Remember that this is someone who works to live. Give them firm boundaries and time off.
This is counterintuitive but such good advice.