We talk about three fundamental qualities employers must look for in potential job candidates!
Suitable qualifications? Check. Experienced candidate? Check. Made preparations for an interview session? Check. You are now one step closer to hiring your next employee. But there is a final – and arguably the tallest – hurdle to overcome before you do hire, and that is the interview itself. While different employers have a different requirement list to check at the interview, there are fundamental qualities that candidates across the board should possess. Here are three of them:
Humility
No one wants to work with a person whose nose is constantly in the air or think that they are better than the rest. Apart from being unpleasant to work with, people who lack humility do not make a good team player. Their ‘holier than thou’ work approach may lead to them deeming some tasks as beneath them and make work delegation for you a chore.
How to assess this quality: Observe him in his natural element. For example, how does he/she treat or talk to the office cleaner?
Honesty
Your candidate should obviously not possess thieving hands. He/she must also be able to adopt the spirit of candour in his conversations. An honest and upright employee would be less likely to participate in pantry gossip that can sometimes be detrimental to a company’s work environment and relationships.
Honesty in the workplace also translates to integrity. Possessing this quality ensures that he/she will be able to keep his commitments and have honest and open dealings with his colleagues and clients.
How to assess this quality: Conduct a reference check with his ex-employers.
Hunger
No we do not mean your candidate’s desire for food, but rather his hunger for information and thirst for knowledge. He does not rest on his laurels and sets high goals that he is driven to meet. His hunger for knowledge is satiated by reading everything he has his hands on and sharing his wealth of knowledge with others. ‘Hungry’ people make good leaders, for they yearn for the chance to take charge and relish good results.
How to assess this quality: Take note of the responses the candidate gives you. Are they positively competitive and genuinely interested in your business or are their answers clearly rehearsed?
Truth be told, there is no foolproof way of assessing these traits. Observe the candidate’s body language and ask as many relevant questions to gather vital clues that will lead to you determining the suitability of the candidate. All the best in your next interview session!
