5 qualities to look for in potential employees
Hiring the right new employee can go a long way toward filling a void at your organization and helping your company overall. On the other hand, a bad hire can cost your company precious time and resources. With all of the demands of today’s fast-paced business world, the search for the right employee goes beyond paper. Resumes and letters of recommendation can be excellent tools for vetting potential hires, but they should not be the only documents used in the process.
To begin with, companies and organizations should take advantage of pre-employment tests and skills tests for employment. Instead of recruiting and subsequently hiring the wrong candidate, raise the bar for the type of employee you are looking for on a regular basis. Testing before a candidate gets hired is one way to weed out individuals who don’t have the right experience for the job before they even come in for an interview. That said, the in-person interview process can help you get a closer view at some of the qualities you liked about the candidate. Here are five qualities to target as you examine potential employees during the hiring process:
1. People skills
Effective communication and emotional intelligence are soft skills that are incredibly useful in the workplace, regardless of what field you are in. Employees that possess people skills can thrive in a wide variety of scenarios. Strong people skills can help with everything from handling sensitive client communications to staying calm in difficult situations, according to Forbes. Although you can teach someone you hire a new technical skill, it is much more difficult to alter a personality trait.
People skills can go a long way around the office.2. Likability
Whether you are working with the new hire on a daily basis or just based out of the same office, you’re going to be spending a fair amount of time with whomever you hire. Do your best to select candidates that are upbeat, pleasant and friendly. Remember: You are going to be around this individual for at least 40 hours every week – don’t hire someone who is constantly cranky.
3. Work ethic
Even if you are successful in finding a likeable candidate with excellent people skills, that won’t translate to much for your business without a solid work ethic. If you hire an individual with a positive attitude and a real desire to add value to your company, there is no limit to how much your organization stands to gain from his or her contributions. Most managers don’t want to waste their time micromanaging or pleading with an employee to get more work done, according to U.S. News & World Report. If you can find workers who are self-motivated, independent and committed to their craft, you’ll be set up for success.
4. Honesty
“Transparent communication is important at every level.”
Though education and experience are integral factors to look for in candidates, it is worth paying attention to character as well. You should always make it a point to hire honest individuals who you can trust to work hard and represent your organization in a positive manner. Transparent communication is important at every level of an organization. Knowing that the information you are getting in return is coming from an honest source can make all of the difference.
5. Flexibility
Employers usually seek out individuals who can adjust quickly to evolving situations, according to U.S. News & World Report. That makes sense – it’s a good idea to have employees who can keep up with the changing business world. If you can hire people who are open minded, you can introduce new strategies and changes around the office fairly easily.