What do employers look for in a new hire ? How do they distinguish an average employee from the best ? A new hire is a lot of investment any way you look at it but some of the most important qualities critical to an employee’s success are quite difficult to teach and hence the need to find the right hire. Intelligent hires concentrate on the future success and salient personalities because information can always be taught. Regardless of industry or sex or age or field, ideal employees usually share some of the most important traits which include but are not limited to the following :
1. Work Ethics: A strong work ethic has always been quite charming in a work place. A person is able to set and achieve goals and adhere to standards set at work.
2. Dependable: It is usually said that consistency is key. A habit is formed when something is repeatedly done daily for a period of 3 months. Now while there are persons who may relapse out of it, a considerable number of others stick to it like glue. Those are the ones that make a formidable backbone at the work place.
3. Self Motivated: You need someone who could work with the least supervision offered. Such a person is clearly self motivated and more of an initiator because of his drive. He is action oriented.
4. Flexible: An employee who is flexible is one who is teachable or somewhat malleable. This means it is easy to teach or mentor such persons because they are prepared to learn. Such persons take direction promptly and are coach able. No one appreciates a know it all attitude.
5. Curiosity: Hire someone who would ask the right questions and would research without being told to do so but because of his curiosity and desire to learn.
6. Honesty: Transparency is key to achieving the open office culture. Employees who speak the truth and are candid about their ways are invaluable.
7. Character : This basically forms a bedrock for most of the qualities listed above. Hire persons who are strong in character, in other words persons who have solid foundations when it comes to the basic qualities which include discipline, integrity and trustworthiness. Such qualities cannot be taught.
8. Hire someone who is able to take criticism in the work place. In any corporate environment there are meant to be criticisms in order to help improve the level of work being churned out on a daily basis however this can only have the desired effect on persons who can take these criticisms and strive to do better. Avoid persons with strong egotistical problems or inferiority complexes.
9. Team Oriented: In a corporate environment, hire only persons who have the ability to carry the fort along and can collaborate on a team basis. This is difficult when a hire is more individually charged towards his goals rather than one of a collective nature.
10. Language tells a lot about a person. Not necessarily language in respect of tribe or culture but language in terms of professionalism and work ethics. A person who has low self esteem and lacks confidence is usually given away by his choice of words because there’s a lot of fears and insecurities projected. This class of persons are not ambitious or initiators and would desire heavy supervision and as such avoid them.
11. Find a person who is personable and easily approachable. The reverse is persons who are uptight and they impede growth because they could easily chase away clients.
12. Hire someone who will not budge under excessive pressure. There is a saying that “goes if you cannot take the heat, get out of the kitchen”. The ideal employee should be able to work under pressure and deliver.
13. Intelligent : This is obviously like restating the obvious but this is an important factor. The IQ level of an employee determines his reception, analysis and productivity in the work place. Intelligence here includes but is not limited to emotional intelligence, mental, psychological and otherwise.
14. The ideal employee must have a positive attitude towards the job and must be able to fluently communicate with colleagues and superiors.
The search for the ideal or somewhat perfect employee is definitely not an easy task. Think of it as an investment as previously stated, if you invest properly, you get returns but if not you just incur losses. It is therefore imperative to closely evaluate and choose persons worth investing into.
