Business owners looking to grow and/or sustain their business often need the help of a great team of employees. For this reason, they take extreme caution when looking to hire candidates to fill vacant positions. Not only must they look for someone who has the necessary education, skills, and personality to get the job done, but they’re looking for aspiring individuals who want to grow as professionals while remaining a valuable asset to the company. Read on for 5 characteristics of an ideal employee…

In order for companies to find applicants who encompass everything the company needs, business owners often go through a series of screenings and interviews. If you want to find yourself at the top of the candidate pool and become the ideal employee you’re going to need to ensure that you have all of the following:

1.  The Ideal Employee will have Educational Experience 

Do you have the necessary education to carry out the responsibilities of the job? Companies often look to individuals who have some form of degree under their belt because it means they have a basic understanding of the industry and tasks at hand. If you don’t have a degree, consider trying to find accelerated degree programs at GMercyU or other colleges that offer both online and on campus learning solutions. Taking courses in general fields like business, accounting, or information technology will put you ahead of the competition.

2.  Passion

Employers are not only looking for someone who has book knowledge, they also want a team of go getters on their side. If you’re passionate about your career, it will exude through your resume, cover letter, and interview. When determining if an employee has the passion it takes to be on the team, employers might ask questions that include:

•   What are some examples of your willingness to work hard in your position?
•   Has there ever been an occasion where you had to defend your company? If so, how did this make you feel?
•   What do you like about this particular industry? Do you see yourself working in this field for a long time?

Answering these questions with passion and accuracy can help you get ahead of other potential applications.

3.  Great Communicators

Not only do you need to be able to communicate effectively with your employer, but you must also know how to communicate with coworkers, and customers. After all, the company’s success in sales, marketing, and public relations greatly depend upon your ability to effectively communicate. Communication not only involves the means to articulate your words and get your point across, it is also about being an effective listener so that you can respond accordingly to get results. Again, since effective communication can’t be demonstrated on a resume or application, employers might ask things that include:

•   Describe a time where you had to communicate with a difficult coworker or supervisor?
•   Has there ever been a time where you were not able to resolve a matter with a disgruntled customer, employee, or manger?
•   How would you explain a complex process to a customer or coworker?

4.  Goal Oriented

Every business owner wants to grow their business and thus they create goals to help them get there. In order for a business to successfully grow, it must be comprised of equally goal oriented staff. Employees that have innovative visions for the future and are constantly developing professionally are going to stand out to employers. To showcase your ability to set and achieve goals you may need to draft your resume in a manner that shows accomplishments that you helped the company to set or academic/professional achievements you’ve accomplished over the years.

5.  Detail Oriented

Every process within a business requires attention to detail. While mistakes are going to happen, it is important that they are far and few in between. Business owners are looking for go getters that also know how to remain organized and pay attention to even the smallest details. To determine your attention to detail, employers will often have small requirements that are placed within the job description. This might include things like asking you to put a job ID number on the top of your resume, state your salary requests, or send your resume and cover letter in a certain manner. Be sure to review all instructions so that you don’t fail this vital test.

Well, that about sums it up. While there are certainly other characteristics, skills, and experience that employers look for, if you don’t encompass the above mentioned traits you need to start investing in professional development. Each of these traits is required to help you stand out from the rest and to be a quality asset to whichever firm decides to welcome you aboard.

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