How To Know For Sure You’ve Found A Good Employee
Hiring someone and knowing whether you’ve found a good employee are two very different things. You might think that they’re the best thing since sliced bread at the interview stage, only to discover that they are a bit of a nightmare later on.
The truth is that all employees are difficult in their own ways. That’s just par for the course. What matters is whether they are producing value in line (or in excess of) what you expected when you first employed them.
So what are some good employee traits? Let’s take a look.
Confidence
Confident people tend to get more done than their timid or shy counterparts. That’s because they are willing to move assertively to cover new ground in ways that others are not.
Detecting confidence, though, isn’t just a matter of listening out for the loudest person in the room. It takes a little more subtlety than that. Confident employees, for instance;
- Aren’t afraid to ask questions
- Don’t care about being self-critical
- Are willing to ask for help when others won’t
- Will quickly adapt to new roles without a fuss
Reliability
Confidence is one thing, but if an employee keeps coming and going all the time, then they aren’t the best asset for building a world-beating business. You need someone who gets past the pre employment medical and is going to stick around.
Signs of reliability include:
- Turning up to out-of-work events regularly and putting in the effort to make them a success
- Regularly producing high-quality work, not just when they feel like it
- Meeting deadlines consistently, even when doing so is challenging
- Showing a willingness to take on more responsibilities
Team Work
High-quality employees sometimes work alone, but most leverage their skills through teams. Modern companies require people who can get on with others, even if their social relationships aren’t perfect.
What are the signs of a good team player? Let’s take a look:
- They prefer the success of the team over their own
- They’re willing to make changes if it is better for the business as a whole
- They don’t mind spending time solving challenging problems
- They support their coworkers in multiple ways
Self-Awareness
Highly productive and smart employees are also self-aware. This aspect allows them to see where they are weakest so that they can improve. It also helps them respond to feedback, even if it isn’t what they want to hear.
A high level of self-awareness usually expresses itself in the following way:
- The ability to ask for help or feedback
- A high level of emotional or interpersonal intelligence
- A good understanding of one’s role in the team
Critical Thinking
Lastly, excellent employees tend to have good critical thinking skills. While they appreciate the importance of fitting in with the group, they aren’t afraid to take risks from time to time, pointing out how things could be done better. They find kind ways to direct you towards the logical solution.
Employees with advanced critical thinking skills may:
- Ask pertinent questions
- See problems before they happen and offer solutions
- Think outside the box
