13 Key Employee Characteristics, And One Quality to Rule Them All
It’s crucial in hiring a candidate that theywill be a good fit. You want to improve team morale, and ensure that the new hire will be productive. What characteristics are best in potential employeesAnd was is the one quality that cannot be overlooked in 2022?
13 Key Characteristics to Look for in theNext Hire
Hiring quality candidates is the best investment. Hiring the best candidates will help to improve the organization, deliver better customer service, reduce errors, and increase the bottom line.
For accounting jobs, it’s a given that a new hire must have the technical expertise and qualifications needed to complete their tasks effectively. But there are additional attributes to look for in a candiate?
13 characteristics of good employees:
1. Team player
Good employees work well in a team. They contribute to the team effort, help their colleagues with challenging work, and offer ideas to improve how work is done.
2. Reliability
The reliability of an employee is a key factor in their ability to be productive and make the company successful. In addition to coming to work on time, it means always doing work to the best of their ability, and going the extra.
3. Integrity
Employees who have integrity are not just honest and trustworthy, but also helpful and team-oriented. They can work in groups easily and have a positive attitude towards their work. Employees with integrity will ensure they are confidential about the company’s business and customers ─ and they will make sure they follow rules, regulations, and company policies and procedures.
4. Autonomy
Companies used to hire employees who were more like robots: able to follow orders and never questioning. Today, companies want employees who exhibit autonomy. They are self-motivated, able to take initiative, and add company value.
5. Confidence
The best employees are confident of their abilities, but not arrogant. They know when to ask for help. They know how to be assertive without being aggressive.
A confident person is aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This helps them focus on what they do well, and do their work confidently.. They use their confidence to help their performance and their colleagues.
6. Good Communication Skills
Effective communication skills are essential in the workforce. Good communicators are able to have solid relationships with their colleagues, avoid conflict, show leadership, and work more collaboratively. This all has a positive effect on productivity and quality of work.
7. Leadership
People with good leadership skills can motivate and inspire those around them. They can help create a culture of empowerment within the company that will lead to better business results.
8. Ambition
A key skill in becoming a top performer is ambition: an unwavering desire to achieve goals and make sacrifices along the way. The people who can most effectively execute on their ambition are those who are driven by success rather than fear of failure or rejection.
9. Problem Solver
The ability to think critically and analytically should not be overlooked. Such employees can solve problems quickly and efficiently. To be a good problem solver, an employee must understand their company’s goals, market trends, competitors, product, or service, etc.
10. Detail-Oriented with Good Time Management Skills
The importance of attention to detail in a highly regulated industry in which the smallest error can have large consequences is well understood. It’s also crucial that employees have good time-management skills, which help them manage workloads, prioritize tasks, and avoid distractions.
11. Follow Industry Trends
Employees who remain updated with the latest industry trends ─ whether that is regulatory, technology, working practices, etc. ─ are better in helping a company deliver superior customer service and stay ahead of the competition.
12. Self-Developer
Self-developers will work hard to progress by learning new skills, understanding the evolving environment, and developing their career progressively.
13. Humility
Humility is one of the most important qualities that an employee can have. It’s not something that can be learned overnight or from a book. It’s a quality that is developed and practiced habitually. Humility empowers a person to admit strengths and weaknesses, and means that asking for help is not seen as a weakness but a strength that can help self-improvement and team performance.
And the Number One Quality to Hire for Today?
All the above qualities are important. Some more so than others, but reading the list, we’re certain that the next hire shouldlpossess them all.
The question, though, is this: is there one quality that is vital today, that hasnt mentioned? Adaptability.
The last two years have taught us that change is constant and unpredictable. It’s stressful, too. The ability to adapt to rapid evolution of the working environment has been found to be consistently placed at the top of the list of desired employee skills by a McKinsey & Company survey.
It is this quality that will help a team and company to negotiate any change smoothly. Adaptability will help employees to onboard new work practices and processes more easily. It will help them to take on new roles and responsibilities more effectively. It will help them to be mentally prepared for what is throw at them, learn new skills, and approach their jobs with confidence.
Contact 6 Degrees Group today and let to help find the most talented, highest-quality candidates for your accounting and finance jobs.