When hiring for any business no matter the size, it’s not what the candidate knows today, because information can be taught. The most intelligent companies actually hire on future success and heavily weigh the personality of that person when determining the aptest employees.
Regardless of the industry, pay, or age, all ideal employees share some common traits. These may include, but are not limited to individuals who can be described as or possess the following:
ACTION-ORIENTED – hire employees who take action and take chances. While chances may lead to failure, they will often lead to success.
INTELLIGENT – Intelligence is not the only thing, but it’s a strong foundation for success, otherwise you may find yourself spending an abundance of time proofing work, micromanaging, and dealing with heightened stress levels.
AMBITIOUS – Employees can only help your company if they want to help themselves have a better career. Ambition is what generates candor and openness amongst employees.
AUTONOMOUS – you are hiring an employee who can get the job done without extensive hand-holding.
LEADERSHIP – Do you see this individual being a significant part of your company and leading future employees of the firm? Leadership is molded by positive reinforcement and repetitive success.
CULTURAL FIT – Are you going to enjoy working with this individual on a daily basis? Are your employees going to enjoy working with this person? Personality can mean the difference between an employee who doesn’t last long vs. An all-star who is going to significantly increase your competitive advantage.
UPBEAT – Employees who come into work fresh and energetic every day are going to outproduce workers who think negatively and easily burn out when they encounter defeat.
CONFIDENT – Confidence produces results and encourages employees to take on challenges that others may shy away from.
SUCCESSFUL – One of the most effective ways to predict the future success in a candidate is their past success at other companies. Have they remained at companies for a long period of time? Have they met the company and personal goals? What achievements have these individuals accomplished?
HONEST – an employee can have all the talent in the world, but without integrity and authenticity, nothing great will be accomplished.
DETAIL ORIENTED - Attention to detail is crucial or mistakes will be made with your company. Detailed-oriented employees take pride in their work. They dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s” and get the job done.
MODEST – The most sought-after employees shout their value not through their words, but rather through their work.
HARDWORKING – Nothing great is accomplished easily. Nothing great is accomplished via hiring 9-5 employees. Rather the foundation of an effective organization lies in its ability to recruit results-oriented, hardworking employees who execute.
PASSIONATE – Employees who are passionate about their jobs never work a day in their life. While money should be a motivator for all individuals whom you hire, make sure that they enjoy the journey when pursuing that end goal.
In the end, you can train an employee on your product or service, but you can't train someone to have integrity, resiliency, self-confidence, and work ethic. The smaller the business, the more crucial any hire is. Be flexible on background requirements, but continue to be stringent on personality traits.
Until next time,
