eAction

If you were to hire the ideal employee, what would you look for? Or supposing you were going to train someone else to take up the skills that you have learned or taught yourself? What kind of person will you most like to be in that position?

I’ve started to think along these lines, and at the top of my list are four basic traits I will seek for in interviews.

1. Willing to learn and try new things.
I’ve run into some people that are so hung up on doing only that which they’ve done for years and years, that they are blind and resistant to learning anything new. Such a person would be a huge disappointment to me. A burden, in fact! In my initial interview I would look for clues that this prospect is willing to learn and try out new things with some eagerness.

2. Positive, cheerful, hopeful outlook.
A complainer is soon as old and bothersome as a festering open wound. I don’t want someone like that around. This person should see some possibilities, and be upbeat and cheerful at least most of the time. We can all get a bit down when things go wrong, but we need our coping skills in place, so we don’t stay there. If this person catches the vision and purpose of the job, and gets enthused, so much better.

3. Persistent, faithful, willing to stick-to-it-to-the-end.
Who likes to mop up a job after others have quit? I don’t, but I’ve had to do it often enough. My Mom made me finish the things I started, and it has become a way of life for me. If I’m to invest my hard-earned skills in someone else, I want that person to also finish what she starts. Much of life boils down to the boring details that have to be done for the over-all project to succeed. A person who pulls back or drops out when it comes to the slough-work is not likely to succeed on their own, and although I’m willing to help someone learn to be faithful to the end, I do NOT want to be stuck with someone who is going to leave all the grunt work to me. Better to discern this at the beginning and to not even let him start the job.

4. One who tries to be accurate, follow instructions, but able to admit mistakes.
There are always those who can appear to be tracking with you, and yet behind your back, they slack off, and get sloppy when they think you are not aware. No Sir, I’d rather they be honest and careful with the details all the way through. That’s not to say we don’t ever make a mistake. I know I do often enough. (Several times a day!) The important thing then is to be humble enough to admit it as soon as you catch it, and confess it to those involved. Then be ready to correct it if possible.

Sometimes only the employer or teacher is able to unravel a bad mistake. Even then, it’s best to stay nearby, not groveling in self-abnegation, but ready to learn from the mistake, so it never happens again. It may also mean suffering quietly if the superior has to vent some frustration.

Now a person with all these traits would be my ideal intern, disciple, or employee. I wonder what the chances are of finding this ideal person. Would you qualify for your ideals?