In today’s day in age there are loads and loads of skilled workers looking for employment, but there are many ways you can find top candidates to fill your position. Especially in recent years with a large amount of top talent looking for positions. Finding which one of those candidates is right for you is important, here are ten standout qualities to look for when finding a new hire.
#1) Long-term Potential
Training new employees is expensive, and businesses do not want to be wasting money hiring someone who isn’t going to stay for a long-time. They are looking for a team member not just an employee, and traits of commitment and longevity are very good signs that they have long-term potential. A business will have a much better return on a long-term team member compared to not, so be conscious of who you are hiring.
#2) Team Player
In many cases an employee will be working with co-workers, whether it be on a project or on a daily basis, you must be able to work with them as a solid team. Working with others is how all business is done and working as one team is better than individually. Businesses also want someone who listens and makes suggestions; be an active team-mate who is helpful.
#3) Responsiveness
Be an attentive responder, this shows that you respect whoever is contacting you. Also being polite in your response will show gratuity. It is a great indicator as to how a candidate will respond to peers in the workplace if you are added to the team. Being respectful in their timely response should show that the candidate will also treat clients with respect as well.
#4) Passion & Enthusiasm
Finding a candidate who takes pride in their work and truly has some fire towards whatever they do will boost your business because that candidate will take their position with motivation for themselves and possible co-workers. People who love their work also tend to stay at companies longer than those who only work for a paycheck. Enthusiastic and passionate employees are most likely helpful in the office as well because they are likely in some sort of management position or studied for management. Passion and fire lead to work being done with care and precision; employees with fire also can motivate other co-workers to be fired up as well.
#5) Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is being able to analyze and interpret information to be able to find a solution by better understanding the problem on a deeper level. Collecting data as well as asking mindful questions to better analyze any solutions is a great way to see if your candidate can critically think. Critical thinking is important because it gives you a formula, almost, on how to better problem solve. Problem solving skills are crucial when working with a group or a team because contributing is what an employer wants.
#6) Fitting the Environment & Positivity
There are two ways that a candidate can fit into a position, those being fit for the position based on skills and knowledge. The other being how they would personally fit in with the organization or company culture. One way a candidate can better their fit in the company culture would be positivity, no one wants to work with someone who drains their motivation and mood of other co-workers. I don’t think fitting company culture should be too focused on while interviewing, just being yourself, polite, and somewhat funny should have you fitting in anywhere.
#7) Confident Communication Skills
When couples talk about what makes a good relationship they always include communication, so why would it be any different in business. Communication is a necessary skill that you should actively look for when hiring. Whether it’s an email or face to face make sure you are speaking clearly and have good body language. Being an active listener may be up there with communication as well, because being able to talk is one thing, but being a present listener is another.
#8) Flexibility
Most of the time an employee is not going to be hired to do one thing, so with that being said make sure you can learn quickly and adapt to new tasks. Doing new tasks without mistake is very important because it shows you’re able to do more than what they hired you for. Being able to expand beyond their roles may also lead to future position changes if you can adapt. An employee who adapts their role based on the needs of the company shows that you also care about the company and will do whatever to help it succeed.
#9) Ability to Produce Results
Companies invest a lot of money in training new hires and they don’t want that to go to waste, and not being able to perform would definitely be a loss for a company. Producing a healthy growth of results for the company will show that you are a valuable asset to them. An employee shouldn’t have to be standout right away, it might take some time to be fully integrated and comfortable for them to start. With that being said they should actively still be doing tasks and learning their position to better the company.
#10) Honesty
Everyone says that honesty is the best policy. No one likes being lied to, and unfortunately some employers are lied to during the interview process already. Some applicants are usually tempted to exaggerate qualifications to find a job, while you should never do that some candidates do. Although, it may help you progress through the hiring process, if your employer discovers your lie you will forever not be trusted. An employee that admits to mistakes and learns from them is a huge asset to a company, but not for something like lying about qualifications. Trustworthy people are also great for company culture.