The idea of how the ideal employee should look like seems easy. They should have a strong work ethic, dress professionally, and finish their tasks on time.
However, finding those employees can be a more challenging endeavor. They might have excellent communication skills, but lack focus. Or, they can be confident in their abilities, but lack reliability.
Here’s a list of the qualities you should be looking for in an employee to maintain a positive work culture at your company and manage a successful business. If you’re an employee, this is what you should aspire to become.
The best employees are reliable
One of the most valued characteristics you should look for is reliability. At the end of the day, you want someone you can trust to get the job done as promised.
If an employee says “the task will take ten weeks”, and then takes five more days, that’s fine. But if an employee is still not done after those extra five days, then this is a sign that they’re not reliable.
A person who is committed to a company and to their career is someone you want on your team. When reviewing a candidate’s resume, check their employment history.
If you notice that the candidate has been switching between multiple jobs too frequently, then that’s a negative sign. It means that the person can’t stay loyal to one employer for too long. You don’t want to hire someone who switches careers just to get a higher salary. Hiring a candidate like this could be an issue for your business.
The best employees are confident
Confidence pushes people to speak their minds, admit their mistakes, and face criticism head-on. People who can stand by their opinions and defend them have the capability to become leaders.
They don’t stay silent when something goes wrong. They’re confident in the things they know and in the things they don’t. When a person acknowledges their weaknesses, it’s a sign of emotional maturity.
When you build a team of confident people, you’ll create a culture that fosters open disagreements. People won’t be scared to share their ideas or initiate conversations. Issues will be resolved more quickly, and ultimately, projects will be performed more effectively.
The best employees are eager to learn
Having employees who are keen to learn can significantly benefit your company. People who continuously upgrade their knowledge can identify problems and quickly look for practical solutions on their own.
These types of employees won’t be scared to take on new responsibilities and learn new skills. One major advantage is that they can fill in your hard-to-fill roles. Instead of recruiting externally, you can recruit internally. You can have your best employees filling up sensitive positions at the company. This can be a more cost-effective solution and can ensure long-term company success.
On the plus side, employees who continuously learn and grow make exceptional mentors. They can mentor your new employees on having a growth mindset and motivate them to move up the ladder.
The best employees have good work experience
Work experience equips an employee with a set of skills. It prepares young people for the world of work and helps instill a strong work ethic. People learn how to communicate, work well with others, and develop critical thinking skills.
That’s why you need to hire employees who have good work experience. Education amounts to little if they haven’t spent a day working in a team and completing tasks. Even if they have a college diploma, that diploma can be of little use if they haven’t stayed up-to-date with current trends and developments.
The best employees possess good soft skills
According to predictions, we’ll lose over five million jobs to automation by 2025. On the bright side, a variety of new posts will appear, which will be mostly related to knowledge creation and innovation. Meaning, to avoid skills shortage, people will have to learn new skills.
It’s believed that soft skills will be equally important as hard skills in the future. The most valuable skills you should look for include:
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Creativity
- Emotional intelligence
- Decision-making
- Negotiation
- Cognitive flexibility
- People skills
Meaning, hiring employees with good soft skills should be part of your strategy. In a way, you’ll be making a long-term investment in your company. Consider investing in training your employees for soft skills. Studies have found that if investment in training for soft skills is doubled, the number of jobs at risk from automation will drop from 10% to 4%.
The best employees are focused
Studies show that nearly 40% of an employee’s workday is spent non-productively, costing companies millions in lost productivity. From emails and phone notifications to noisy coworkers, distractions come in many forms.
However, some people are better at managing distractions than others. They have developed a few tactics for dealing with distractions. For example, they can pay attention to their thoughts and recognize when their mind starts drifting. They set a few main objectives every day and don’t leave the office until the tasks are finished. What’s more, they often turn off their phones or put them in airplane mode. This tactic helps them concentrate on the tasks at hand better.
You need to hire people who possess these qualities. They’re not just sitting around in the office chatting with their coworkers. They’re actively contributing and staying engaged in their work.
However, creating a distraction-free environment is also a company’s responsibility. Companies should find ways to limit distractions at the office. This can include:
- educating employees on how to use their personal devices and social media
- Investing in time management training
- holding only important meetings
Good employees are easy to work with
An employee might possess the best technical skills, but if they can’t work well with others, then that’s a problem. Today, good employers value communication and teamwork skills as much as they value hard skills.
Because at the end of the day, your employees will need to communicate daily with their coworkers. What’s more, they might need to communicate with managers, clients, and customers. That’s why you have to ensure the person you’re hiring is great with other people.
Hire someone with a positive outlook, someone who smiles, and someone who respects other people. Your ideal employee should be able to hold a polite and sensible conversation with coworkers and clients. If they can’t, then you’re risking your business.
Avoid including people who continuously complain, have negative behavior, and speak badly about their coworkers or previous employers. Keep in mind that after they leave your company, they’ll be bad-mouthing your company to their next employer.
Final Word
Finding great talent is time-consuming. From reviewing applications and checking for cultural fit, it requires investing time, money, and nerves. But it’s worth it! By hiring employees who possess a combination of soft and hard skills, you can increase your retention rates and quality of hire.
To strengthen your business, make sure you prioritize the characteristics that matter most for your company. Whether it’s hiring people who are focused or people who are easy to work with, a great workforce is the most critical foundation of a successful company.
