Fifteen Attributes of Great Employees - Business Success Consulting Group

Every company has at least one star employee who works hard every day to help accomplish that year’s goals. Many companies have the good fortune to employee many fantastic staff, all of whom are dedicated to helping you build a better business. While you can probably list every one of your best employees off the top of your head, you may find it harder to parse down why they are so great. It may be that they are productive, work well with others, or update you and your team leads without a second thought. In fact, they most likely have a combination of attributes that make them among your best hires. At Business Success Consulting Group, we have seen many HR executives and business owners go out on a limb during the hiring process, hoping to snag one of these fantastic people. While some techniques work, others are a swing and a miss.

Identifying Excellent Employees

So many executives fail to list the attributes for which they are looking. This makes them miss out on ideal hires. Often, an HR rep is looking for the basics: great/can-do attitude, experience, and whether the person will mesh with the company. There are many more attributes to consider to discover whether or not your potential hire will end up being a rockstar employee. Here are fifteen things you can look for to help you determine if you’re making the right call by hiring someone: 1. Has a history of successfully completed projects. Have you ever looked at a resume that shows an individual has consistently hopped from project to project or company to company? This often indicates an inability to take a task to its proper result. You want to hire an employee who will complete tasks and expand your business over time - not one that will put his or her oar in until the job gets difficult - then look for another job. 2. Is very interested in your company, existing activities, and his/her career. Occasionally a potential employee will interview who has never even researched the company in which he or she is seeking a position. This indicates that the interviewee may be just looking for any 9-5 job and has no real interest in the company and its goals. You want to work with people who are passionate and excited about growing your business. 3. Communicates clearly and intelligibly. All businesses run on clear, direct, and appropriate communication. Make sure your HR representatives understand that any interviewee must be able to communicate clearly during the interview. Additionally, the potential employee should be sequitur and stay on-point during the interview. 4. Presents him or herself in proper attire. Not only will your employees be representing your company, but they should also have a notion as to what proper business attire is. 5. Reasons well. An IQ test or some basic logic questions can tell you whether an applicant can reason. This is important because he or she will have to make critical, logical decisions that may affect the whole company. 6. Works well with others. You, of course, want to create a team that meshes well. When you have gossipy, individuated, or angry employees, they will not work well with others and will create chaos within your organization. 7. Is persistent even when something is difficult. Some tasks are harder than others, and your employees are there to tackle every part of the job - difficult or easy. You can often tell if someone will persist through a tough situation by checking their resume for completed duties at previous jobs. You can also ask the applicant during the interview what their hardest undertaking was and how they managed to finish it. Their answer may say a lot about their work ethic. 8. Understands information and asks appropriate questions to clear up confusions. It’s important that your employees don’t rotely say “yes sir” to an order and then try to figure things out from there. Ideally, your staff should ask questions, make sure instructions are completely understood, and then execute them correctly the first time around. 9. Goes to the proper source to ask questions. There is a right person to ask questions and a wrong person. For example, if a team lead tells an employee to do a task that is within their purview, it would not make sense for that employee to go to the CEO and ask them about the work. Finding out how an individual goes about getting their questions answered tells a lot about their logical thinking process and their understanding of how the company should function. 10. Relays communication accurately. Have you ever worked with someone who strips down communication, only transmitting part of it so that, in the end, the message comes across garbled and unintelligible? This is not the type of person with whom you want to work. Instead, seek staff who will relay the full message accurately so that all details are assembled, and something can be done about the issue. You would likely much rather know that Mr. Jones is coming to meet you in conference room #2 at 1 PM - instead of “Mr. Jones will be here sometime soon.” 11. Is willing to take risks when warranted and will take responsibility for such decisions. No matter what the job for which you are hiring an individual is, they need to be able to take responsibility for every task associated with the position. Occasionally, that means they will have to take a risk and then assume responsibility for their decision. For example, a customer service rep may need to provide a discount to keep a client happy and working with your company. However, if they only tell the customer that they will provide a discount and then don’t follow through and provide it - you’ve likely lost that client. 12. Is honest and truthful. Working with a dishonest person is almost impossible. You won’t know whether what they are saying is accurate or if they are simply trying to present the best version of themselves. Conversely, as an employer, it is important to foster an environment in which honesty in itself is not punished. Creating a space in which confessing to any decision can be grounds for an immediate yelling match or dismissal will likely turn honest employees into a dishonest one. 13. Has future goals and is working to attain them. The question “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” is one which many employees provide an unlikely answer. However, retooling that question into “What are your career goals?” or “What would you like to accomplish in the next few years?” can give you a better, more accurate, picture of whether or not your interviewee has future objectives. The answer can also help you see if this job is merely a stepping stone or if they want to work with and expand your company. 14. Displays an upbeat attitude. In many ways, a company is defined by its employees. If all or most employees are sour, angry, or grouchy, that attitude comes through in client interaction. That’s why it’s important to hire more cheerful and positive employees. It’s far more likely that a happy individual will display a “can do” approach to problems and make interactions - and your work day - easier and more enjoyable. 15. Pays attention to small details. The saying “the devil is in the details” is right. If you work with someone who cannot see the details and can only work with broad strokes, parts of a project will be missed or incomplete. Hiring employees who are willing to make sure each detail is done correctly will give you a better quality of work and will result in happier customers. Here at Business Success Consulting Group, we help HR representatives, executives, and business owners alike find the right team for their company. Contact us today and use our HR and staffing expertise to build or expand your business.