Kevin Gardner, ExecutiveChronicles | 5 Important Job Skills You Should Look for in Applicants | The most important resource a business has is not money, real estate, or machinery. Instead, it’s that company’s employees. Without the proper staff, you’ll never be able to achieve your short-term or long-term goals. You need to have the right talent to delegate responsibility. Productive employees are the fuel that allows a business to achieve success.
However, part of the problem is finding the right talent. Not everyone has the skills needed to excel in every position. Not everyone is a good worker either. You need to be selective about your recruitment process to make sure your company is staffed with the right people. Below are certain skills you should look for in candidates applying to an open position with your company.
Communication Skills
The ability to communicate effectively is important for any job. Even food service workers need to be able to communicate well. This is especially the case in regard to communicating with customers and ensuring that they always leave satisfied.
Make sure the candidates you select have excellent communication skills both in the interview and in their written communication via the resume they submit. A person’s ability to communicate well or not in an interview is part of the reason why 33 percent of recruiters know whether or not to hire someone during the first 90 seconds.
Teamwork Skills
Effective employees also need to be able to work well with other employees. Teamwork is another skill that is absolutely integral to the success of a business. While it’s important to hire strong individuals, they also need to be able to demonstrate that they have the ability to work in teams to achieve a shared goal. Try to ascertain this both from the interview and the resume.
Most important business projects require contributions from several team members. Team building and collaboration are vitally important to the success of any business project whether it is developing new products or launching a marketing campaign. 39 percent of employees don’t believe there is enough collaboration in their companies.
Eagerness to Learn
Just because someone is not already an expert does not mean they can’t succeed in a position. However, if they don’t have relevant experience, they need to demonstrate that they do have an eagerness to learn. The ability and passion for learning is important because they can help pay dividends later for your company. You want employees who will be able to learn different things about the company so they can someday advance up the chain to more important positions.
Employees are an important resource in part because they can continue learning new skills the longer they stick with your company. There are actually many examples of CEOs who started their careers at companies in an entry level position.
Technology Skills
The business world is becoming increasingly digital. The internet has changed how consumers buy products entirely. These days, people get most of their information about companies and products from their phones. It’s a different game. Make sure to choose someone who is well-versed in technology. Being able to use a computer and office software is very important. Having advanced technical skills regarding technology and computers should make a candidate even more desirable.
Leadership Skills
You also need to be looking for potential leaders. This includes people who exhibit leadership in regards to always getting the job done right by going the extra mile. It includes individuals that can lead teams to success. It includes people that could be potential candidates in the future for being promoted to management. You need to look for candidates with strong leadership qualities.
Overall, your workforce is your most important resource as a business. Make sure you are very selective with your recruitment process. If you want your business to be successful in the long term, you need to have talented employees who can help drive your company’s future profits.
