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What Characteristics Make for a Valuable Employee?

Last month we discussed in length what demotivates employees and makes them unhappy in their jobs. The factors included poor communication, boredom, unpleasant work environment, failure to recognize performance, incompetent leadership, lack of fulfillment and job security. Once you have ruled out or nullified these factors, your business is ready to find the quality employees who will build success for your business. This month, Padgett Payroll Services®, the first name in small business payroll services, has a few tips for discerning which candidates possess the right characteristics for your business needs without having to spend a lot of time in a vigorous hiring process.

Evaluate the Needs of Your Clients
As a business owner, you know the type of relationship your clients need to have with your employees. Some industries require that each employee have a great deal of expertise in the field in order to gain client trust, others need creative minds who can improve the product, while some industries may require tenacious individuals whose persistence and dedication can increase sales. By determining what employee traits your company needs, you can better find a suitable candidate.

Value Ownership over Education or Expertise
Your prospective employees will likely come from varied backgrounds; some may have a college education while others have years of experience. If you are lucky, you can find a candidate with both. However, more important than either of these is an employee’s ability to take ownership. This kind of person will treat your company as their own, being sure to take excellent care of clients while still caring about the bottom line. In the interview process, find out what the candidate has taken ownership of and evaluate if they are willing to make themselves an expert in the industry in order to better serve your company.

Look for a Demonstration of Humility
One of the characteristics of a great emergent leader is the ability to lead when appropriate and yet also be able to accept the better ideas of others and follow them. A trait of a great employee is the ability to adapt based on what is best for the team. You should look for an individual who can be a leader if necessary and listens to the team and offers suggestions for improvement, but does not take advantage of a leadership role in order to further his or her own goals. In other words, you need a true team player.

Ask for a Demonstration of Their Prowess
Obviously you will have a copy of the candidate’s resume and portfolio, but those things do not necessarily tell you what this individual considers to be a job well done. Consider asking them which single task or project they would consider to be their greatest accomplishment in their career so far. This powerful question can help you gain insight into the person’s project management habits and reveal what makes them passionate about their work. It also can help you gauge what types of projects the employee finds fulfilling.

The needs of your business will differ from the needs of other businesses, so keep this in mind when conducting your search for the perfect employee. Once you have your perfect team in place, contact Padgett Payroll Services® to bring order, stability and peace of mind to your payroll processing.