Top office skills your employees need to succeed

Hiring the best possible employee often requires a lot of hard work. During the onboarding process, you have to rummage through dozens of resumes, schedule and hold interviews, get to know each candidate and decide who fits the position best. But during those conversations, what exactly should you be listening for? Certainly, you need to get to know each potential employee on a personal level – and based on past experience – but you also need to be able to pinpoint their skills and evaluate the candidate based on how you think he or she will bring these assets to the company.

During the interview process – and before you declare your next new hire – keep these top skills in mind. Your next best potential employee should possess the following abilities:

Written and oral communication skills
Think about how the interviewee responded to your initial email of interest. Did it seem rushed, or thoughtful? Employees who write an email and reread it before hitting send avoid posting messages with errors or notes to the wrong receipt.

When it comes to oral communication skills, think about how the potential new hire responds to your questions. This shows whether they listened to you while you spoke, or rushed to answer one portion of the question to get it over with.

The ability to relate to others
Does the interviewee beat around the bush during every comment you make and find a way to talk about him or herself? Teri Hockett, a chief executive for a career site for women, said people who are relatable are showing their ability to agree and disagree with mutual respect.

Take note of whether the interviewee relates to your perspective.

“Having the ability to relate to others and their position or viewpoint is crucial in business,” Hockett told Forbes. “By having a well-rounded personality and set of experiences, it’s usually possible to relate to almost anyone.”

When hires display that they understand your position on a certain topic, it shows they’re relatable.

Knowing how to go the extra mile
During the interview, ask the potential hires about their past job experience and if they ever went the extra mile to produce a successful project. Brett Good, senior district president of Robert Half International, told Business News Daily that employees who go above and beyond show their managers that they bring something different to the table.

“Employees who take on projects that fall outside their normal responsibilities can expand their skill set and explore new avenues for professional growth,” Good said. “While you may not always have the time to volunteer for an extra assignment, passing on every opportunity will prevent you from being viewed by your manager as a go-to person in the department.”

You shouldn’t be interested in hiring a bunch of average Joe’s. Seek the people who stand out during the interview.

The ability to ask
Certainly, you will be asking the majority of the questions during the interview, but the potential hires shouldn’t shy away from getting to know you and the company. According to U.S. News & World Report, the ability to ask is an underutilized skill that can take anyone’s career to the next level. When the interviewee asks a lot of questions during the interview, it shows that they’ll be willing to ask questions in the future in regard to pitching ideas, promotions or raises or taking on more responsibilities.

With these skills, your new hire will shine throughout his or her tenure in the office. Keep these abilities and qualities in mind during your next round of interviews.