 Gina Blitstein combines her insight as a fellow small business owner with her strong communication skills, exploring topics that enhance your business efforts. That first-hand knowledge, matched with an insatiable curiosity to know more about just about anything, makes her a well-rounded writer with a sincere desire to engage and inform.
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3 Out-of-the-Box Qualities to Look for When Seeking Outstanding EmployeesWhen searching for an ideal candidate to fill a position in your business, most people look for the tried-and-true qualities that describe traditionally good employees like these:
Add in proficiency in certain programs and systems, like for word processing, spreadsheets, customer relationship management or bookkeeping software to go with the job description and many resumes - and the candidates they represent - start to look and sound the same. Although conventional wisdom - and many years of hiring experience - says that those criteria make for ideal employees, have you ever wondered if there could be more - or different - skills that could further hone your search for an outstanding employee? Skills that would make them an even more attractive and valuable hire? Consider these three attributes and how they could augment the skillset of a potential employee: 1. Exceptional curiosity - A candidate possessing this quality actively seeks out more than a cursory understanding of a plan, project, client, initiative. They want to understand it inside and out and learn more than just the basic facts. They want to know why the company is involved with the enterprise in the first place and its projected benefit. Additionally, they want to know how the company will act in accordance with said enterprise. These exceptionally curious candidates can’t imagine taking action without this information available to provide context, motivation and accountability. Uncomfortable with the feeling of blindly following management and/or their fellow employees, these individuals require a more thorough understanding of that upon which they work, in order for them to perform at their best which due to the deep understanding they’ve cultivated, is particularly dynamic. Advantages of hiring an employee who possesses exceptional curiosity include:
2. Empathetic nature - An empathetic person has a facility to see situations from other people’s perspectives, enabling them to relate more effectively in interpersonal interactions. A candidate may be highly educated, skilled or talented and competently perform tasks, but without empathy, it may be more difficult to communicate, elucidate ideas and issues and/or manage people. The empathetic person’s ability to "put themselves in the other guy’s shoes," allows them to understand issues on a deeper, more nuanced and informed level and convey meaning more effectively. Advantages of hiring an employee who possesses an empathetic nature include:
3. Takes on a sense of ownership - Beyond the ability and willingness to do a good job, candidates who possess this attribute are likely to feel a deeper-than-average responsibility for the reputation and success of the business, almost as if it were their own. These employees tend to take the interests of the business personally and consider it their responsibility to look out for it, even when it’s not directly associated with their specific job description. This employee doesn’t say, "that’s not my job;" rather, they will take on any task they can for the benefit of the business as a whole. They feel a sense of pride when the business experiences success and is considered in a positive light. Advantages of hiring an employee who takes on a sense of ownership include:
Looking for these three qualities in your interviewees can help you discover candidates who are even more highly suited to working in your company - and whose performance will be truly outstanding. Would considering these 3 attributes in addition to the traditional ones help you discover and hire outstanding employees for your business? Read other Gina's articles |