How to Spot a Rockstar Employee!

Date Posted: 05/20/2014

Nine Traits of the Ideal Employee

Recruiting candidates with the best qualities is a challenge for any hiring manager. Sometimes you can be lucky and the ideal candidate applies for the job. However, more often than not, you find the ideal traits you are looking for not in one person but in different candidates and you wish you could put them together in that one Rockstar employee you are looking for.

Skills and experiences are key deciding factors in recruitment but there are also intangible qualities that must be considered like personality; looks; confidence; grooming; diction, etc.

Based on some researches, here are 9 personality traits/characteristics that have been identified as GREAT in any employee:

1. Effective Communicator. Communication is, of course, very important. The person should be able to express their opinion in a clear and concise way and be fair and honest in their opinions and judgments.

However, it’s not only about being a good talker, it’s more important that the person is a good listener too. A person with well-developed interpersonal skills can effectively communicate himself/herself and work well in any team.

If the person needs to give feedback to colleagues or others working with him/her, it is given in a way that boosts confidence and morale in the listeners so they become eager to do better. At the same time, the person is able to accept any feedback given by others in a positive manner.

2. Adaptable. Employees who are adaptable and flexible can work well with multiple projects and in any team. If your company implements changes in process, these types of employees have the ability to easily adapt and are willing to lead change. The person is never afraid of trying new things and can work with many different personalities.

3. Positive Attitude. Attitude is everything at work. No one likes a negative employee or someone who is always complaining. An employee who possesses a positive aura and keeps a happy attitude at all times is fun and good to be around and also motivates others to imitate him/her. Having a lot of positive employees can make everyone in a team easy to get along with and work effectively.

4. Initiator. The ideal employee should have the ability to look around to see what needs to be done and do it and not wait to be told what to do. A person with initiative thinks things through and keeps himself/herself busy by constantly finding tasks that need performing or coming up with ideas that can improve the systems, etc. Having a positive can-do, figure-a-way attitude imply employee’s willingness to learn, accept criticism and improve.

5. Organized. Being organized makes an employee an excellent planner. Knowing how to prioritize and effectively allocate his/her time results in being more accomplished at work. We are all busy but a well-organized person gets more done in the same amount of time than a less organized person. Remember, organization includes factors like personal appearance, confidence; work-life balance; personal accountability; awareness and understanding the role of each component of business. An organized person does not leave any loose ends that could jeopardize the whole project.

6. Problem solver. The ideal employee sees every problem as a challenge and opportunity. The attitude of such a person is not negative and does not focus on the problem but on the solution. An ability to solve problems through sound reasoning and critical thinking helps them to understand the relationship between pertinent facts and draw appropriate conclusions on how to move ahead.

7. Trustworthy. The ideal employee is someone you can count on to follow through on commitments. You want employees you can trust. Being reliable is not the same things as being trustworthy. Without integrity and authenticity, the person will not accomplish anything great. The ideal employee is honest not only with the people within the organization but also with clients and other people they interact with. Self-criticism and a willingness to receive good or bad feedback are essential in a trustworthy employee as they also become good learners and in turn good teachers.

8. Self-Motivated. A self-motivated employee sets himself/herself apart from the crowd by putting the company’s and customers’ interests and the interest of fellow employees first. The person never hesitates to take responsibility. The eagerness to always try to learn new things and gain more knowledge about the job; showing up on time and doing the work to the best of their ability are all traits of a self-motivated employee.

9. Multi-skilled. An employee with a number of skills can really be a gift for any company. You can assign this person to different tasks and he/she can easily adapt and tackle new tasks. The employee is also marketable and presentable to clients. They represent your organization as professional; trustworthy; knowledgeable and someone they would want to work with.

Finding these traits in the ideal employee is not always easy, so why not leave it to Ikon to find the ideal employees for your organization. You can trust Ikon Solutions’ services and be certain that every detail of the hiring process is maximized in finding that Rockstar candidate for you.