Hiring suitable employees can save your business time, effort, and money. But the question is, how can you tell whether a candidate will be an asset or a liability? In this article, Vinod Ramchandra Jadhav looks at ten qualities valuable employees share. Employers can use these as guideposts when considering the suitability of a potential new hire.
1 Integrity: Integrity is the bedrock of a good character. It encompasses traits like accountability and honesty. You can always count on an employee with integrity to do their best.
2 A positive attitude: No one likes to work around constant negativity. If it is essential that your workplace be somewhere employees want to come, watch for potential new hires with a positive attitude.
3 Dependability: You need to trust that your employees will do what they say they will do. Dependability is vital for workers that aspire to positions of responsibility.
4 Self-motivated: There is little time for excessive handholding in a fast-paced small business. It is critical to provide adequate training, but you need self-motivated employees who can keep themselves moving forward, even when they're tired or frustrated.
5 A team player: While it is desirable to find independent and self-motivated employees, they also must integrate into your team. Depending on the type of business you lead, teamwork may be essential or merely desirable. Either way, however, it is a quality to watch for.
6 Communication skills: Whether verbally or in written form, communication is the lifeblood of a business. Even a highly qualified employee who lacks the ability to communicate well can drain productivity.
7 Self-awareness: To be self-aware means you understand your strengths and weaknesses. This is an essential quality because self-aware people know when to ask for help or feedback. As a result, they can learn faster with fewer mistakes.
8 A strong work ethic: A strong work ethic is best when coupled with a sound work/life balance. You want to watch for employees who are not afraid of hard work, but the worker who spends all their time working may be neglecting other aspects of their lives. This imbalance can lead to challenges down the road.
9 Independence: Being an independent worker may seem, at first blush, like it is counter to being a team player. It is not. You can trust an independent employee to work without excessive supervision, but if work means being part of a team, an independent worker can do that too.
10 Self-confident: To have confidence in your abilities is essential. Without a healthy level of self-confidence, employees may be fearful of attempting new tasks. This hesitancy will preclude them from meaningful advancement in the organization.
Conclusion
The best employees have a balance of these character traits. Having too much of some of these traits at the exclusion of others could create an imbalance that would be difficult to manage or overcome. For example, a highly effective communicator with a lousy attitude may do more harm than good.
About Vinod Ramchandra Jadhav
A self-described first-generation entrepreneur, Mr. Vinod Ramchandra Jadhav is the Chairman of SAVA Group and Devtech M2M. With a career spanning over two decades, he is well-versed in marketing, sales, supply chain management, and regulatory and corporate affairs in various capacities. Mr. Jadhav holds a diploma in Mechanical Engineering and a graduate degree in Materials Management.
