Finding the right employee for the right position within your company can be a challenge, as training someone to be proficient is often a labor-intensive and expensive endeavor. If you’re trying to pluck the right employee from a pool of applicants, here are 10 characteristics you’ll want in your new hire.
Results-Based Work Ethic
While some employees are unapologetic clock-watchers, others will sink their teeth into a project and not let go until it’s completed to their satisfaction. Encourage potential hires to talk about their previous accomplishments and how they met their goals. This will tell you plenty about their work ethic and style of achievement.
Passion and Eager Enjoyment
There’s little more disheartening than an employee who is unenthusiastic and only doing the job to collect a paycheck. Even if potential employees know little about the specific position, they should be curious and enthusiastic about it. If an interviewee has done Internet research on your company and has plenty of questions about its operations and products, you’ve found someone with passion and interest.
Knowledge of How to Apply Their Skills
Don’t be afraid to ask a potential employee how they would handle a work-related problem. This exercise will tell you how they use their skills to solve issues and find solutions. While the answers may range from the obvious to the creative, an interviewee who has no potential solution at all may require a lot of hand-holding and won’t be able to handle issues on their own.
Desire for Long-Term Employment
In today’s mobile world, a sense of commitment is important. Look for long-term dedication to previous positions. Applicants who have completed long-term educational goals are also demonstrating their ability to stick to decisions and see their course through to the end. A risk assessment specialist who earned their EKU Occupational Safety degree online says hiring employees who want to stay in good standing with your company also reduces the risk of internal theft.
Whether or Not They Fit In to Company Culture
If your office is full of liberal-minded, tattooed people, hiring a staunch conservative who curls their lip at your pierced nose could be cause for concern. While you don’t want to make a snap judgement, you do need to consider how an applicant may fit into the culture of your workplace.
A Sense of Teamwork
Unless you’re hiring someone to perform an isolated job with no interaction, you want to find a team player. Pay attention to how applicants interact with staff, including the secretary at the front desk and management. If they are rude to the custodian or dismissive of other people, they may not have a team spirit.
An Ambitious Nature
Ask potential hires about their future outlook. If they are ambitious, they might talk about eventually earning a management position or taking on huge projects. An employee who is happy to coast along doing the bare minimum isn’t someone you want to hire.
Willingness to Share the Limelight
Nobody wants to work with someone who insists on being the star of the show. Whether it’s working in a pizza shop or brokering multi-million dollar real estate deals, nearly every business interaction is a team effort. Ask about a time when a team helped the potential employee to meet their goals. If they can’t name others or view every success as an individual ‘win’, look at other applicants.
A Responsive and Lively Nature
You don’t want to hire someone who ignores their email and doesn’t have the manners to respond when people speak to them. Applicants should be quick to say thank you to others and respond when spoken to. Additionally, keep track of how quickly emails and phone calls are returned.
A Good First Impression
While some fidgeting or stuttering can be forgiven as nervousness, there is no excuse for arriving to an interview markedly late and improperly dressed or groomed. This is especially important if the position deals with clients. You want someone who takes pride in their ability to make a good first impression.
