Great companies need great employees, but they are not easy to find. Failing to find them can be very costly, just as finding the quality employee to fit in a job position can be very difficult. Having the candidate’s resume and conducting standard interviews does not determine if the candidate is truly passionate or goal-oriented as the judgments may be merely phenomenal, but being aware of the characteristics you want and having a sense on how to look for them can be very helpful.
Being a successful employee is synonymous to running a small scale business with low risk and limited customers. You listen intently for what customers requests of you to do. Then, you learn and get yourself to achieve the requested tasks. A good employee portrays qualities like punctuality, resilience, reliability, enthusiasm, discipline, and more importantly, a hard worker.
Below are some helpful tips to what an employer should look out for when recruiting an employee.
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CREATIVITY.
No organization needs a mediocre employee, instead, people who are skilled and have superb ideas are needed to prosper businesses. Your employees should be ones who are willing to take risks in trying out new things that are not remote and yet profitable. In addition, it will help reduce the mundaneness of the daily business routine.
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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILL.
This is the top requirement an employee should possess. No organization needs an employee who jabbers incoherently and pays less attention when pieces of information are disseminated. Every ideal employee understands the importance of good communication and how badly things can turn when information is not lucid or missed altogether. Inaccurate and inappropriate employee communication can lead to many troubles within the company and with clients.
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SELF-MOTIVATION.
There are basically two kinds of employees – those who wait to be pushed before they start and those who start without being pushed. Every boss loves someone who does not necessarily wait for the green light before carrying out preconceived office tasks. Self-motivated employees possess the stamina to produce effective results, while their counterparts slack around and indulge in precious little nothings. Self-motivated employees know what their purpose is in life and are persistent in trying to update their knowledge on a regular basis.
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ATTITUDE.
Ever heard of the saying that “attitude is everything”? It is important to look out costly for it when hiring. Being nice is a simple social skill that, unfortunately, many people lack. Generally, people don’t like being around those who are naturally unhappy, pessimistic or negative. Portraying a positive and happy behaviour is contagious, it practically lights up the workplace no matter the tension and bustle of having to run around to meet up deadlines. An ideal employee with an ideal attitude remains a valuable asset any time, any day.
Furthermore, it is part of having a good attitude to be appreciative. Always say thank you whenever a boss or colleague does something kind and generous to you, it will always inspire them to do more good to you. Magic words like thank you, sorry, you’re welcome spins things around drastically to your favour.
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ADAPTABILITY.
Business is unpredictable and circumstance evolves continuously. The business environment like other facets of life is prone to change and small businesses hopefully grow and matures to bigger enterprises. An ideal employee needs to be flexible and adaptive to new situations and grow along with the business. No employer or organization wants team members who are naturally and completely static.
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HARD WORK.
Everyone claims to be hardworking even though most people become wanned out easily without completing a task. Nothing great is accomplished on an easy platter because there is no substitute for hard work. Rather, the foundation of a company lies in its ability to hire results-oriented, hardworking employees who execute.
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TEAM SPIRIT.
A great number of organizations encourage teamwork as it is an essential platform for individuals to perform more effectively. An employee who likes to work in a team and welcomes feedback from all kinds of people is inclined to be potential in an organization where teams are necessary for daily business execution. Doing well in a team requires patience, tolerance and good social skills.
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OPENNESS.
Two brains are better than one still remains a truism. A great quality of an employee is the ability to carry other members of his team along by willingly sharing ideas, experience and making positive suggestions to the execution of a task.
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HELPING OTHERS.
No man is an island. Everyone appreciates some helping hand every now and again. A good employee does not hesitate in helping others in times of need. This spawns positive interpersonal relationships and keeps the business running smoothly.
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PUNCTUALITY.
Be on time, at least 15 minutes early every day. The little delays in your morning routine might cascade and have implications far beyond your schedule, and far beyond your morning. Always arrive early, if you have to park far away, you will walk in and still not be late. If your client is early, you will be there to greet him or her, and not leave a message – even if you arrive early. This is why showing up on time and completing tasks by deadlines is a vital trait of a good employee. People who can get to work on time, regardless of whatever the day throws at them, are more likely to show up for official events on time.
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QUIETNESS.
Quit gossiping and get to work. You don’t get paid at the end of every month to engage in frivolities like gossiping. It is true you want to establish a good relationship with your colleagues. Hence, a little chatting every now and then is inevitable and desirable. But spending a long(yes long!) half-hour relating your colleagues with events from your previous evening will present you as a joker. Nobody likes having such kinds of misconceptions. When one is talking a lot, two of you are not working a lot. When it comes to building an atmosphere of open communication where everyone feels valued and welcome; gossip is a venom that causes untold mayhem on your hard-earned company ethics. The best way to rid of gossip is to have employees who simply do not favour the act.
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PROFESSIONAL.
There are many elements to being professional, and some are key qualities of a good employee. These components include the responsibility, honesty, effective communication and respect that you would expect to find in a colleague at any point in time. An unprofessional person is like a layman who still struggles with his good ethics because apparently, he does not know the meaning of good ethics, talk less of inculcating them. Professionalism is a manner of being, it is like the smile you wear when you’re happy. Professional people carry themselves with pride, remain calm and don’t flinch in crisis, can communicate with difficult people without being reactive and are accountable for their actions with coworkers at all levels.
More so, being professional does not just end with being accountable, responsible and honest. It involves being discreet with information. It would be a shame if a solicitor who claims to be professional discusses his clients’ confinements over a bottle of beer with his friends. He would not only be flunking the oat of secrecy, but he would also show himself as an ignorant man.
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TIME MANAGEMENT.
No company derives joy and satisfaction in employing a time waster. In order to be good at what you do, you really need to manage your time very well by making a priority list of the work you have on your hands. You must not procrastinate to do any work, whether or not involves you primarily as far as there’s involvement. If you postpone any work that involves other departments, due to your fault, those departments will suffer. It is not only about being managerial with your time, but you must also learn to manage effectively your bosses time. If you want to stand out as the best, then it is vital that you take interest in making progressive reports even when you are not asked to without impeding your work responsibilities.
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INTEGRITY.
Regardless of how many approvable working traits an employee may possess in his portfolio, without honesty and humility, he is incomplete. A good employee is honest about his work and qualifications. Employees who are not straight forward, transparent and trustworthy would lead to chasing clients away and evidently, cause trouble for the company. Integrity spawns office culture and creates a peaceful ambience within the office environment.
Conclusively, when looking for a qualified candidate to fit in a position, put in mind that knowledge is a great and valuable asset – as nobody would want to hire a dunce – it can be taught. Finding great talent is one thing, keeping it is another. So treat great employees accordingly and watch your company prosper.
Dipo Umoru
dipo@klinsheet.com
07014636348
Verification Consultant – Klinsheet Consulting