How to employ the right people 

How can you identify the standout candidates in the hiring process?

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Robert Half

We’ve all worked with people who came with excellent credentials but also a toxic personality that made everyone on the team miserable. There is a set of traits that the best employees tend to share – not just the obvious ones, like ‘smart’ or ‘trustworthy,’ but also subtler qualities of character that can be difficult to quantify. Here are four character traits of great employees for you to look out for.

A DIY attitude

Micromanagement is exhausting for all parties involved. Employees today are increasingly being given autonomy in their work; they are handed self-directed tasks and expected to complete them the best way they know how — whether at home, at the office or in a coffee shop.

The ability to maximise this autonomy is a key character trait of a great employee. It’s not productive having to watch over an employee’s shoulder because you don’t trust them to get the job done and if, for some reason, they run into trouble, DIY types often take the initiative to reach out for help long before something blows up into a serious problem.

A right-sized ego

Ideally, you want to hire people with not only the confidence to try new things but also the humility to admit their limits, ask questions, request feedback and reach out for help when they’re in over their head. A right-sized ego is a trait many great employees share.

A finely-tuned sense of humour

Laughing and productivity aren’t mutually exclusive, but they are mutually reinforcing. A sense of humour is another common trait of the best employees. Humour is contagious, and when your teams laugh more, they are happier. These positive emotions actually open parts of the brain that drive empathy, innovation and the passion required to overcome difficulties and learn new skills. Great employees know the difference between making light of situations at work and making jokes that poke fun at others, or are off-colour. 

Diplomatic contrarianism

The best employees don’t bury their heads in the sand when they see problems, even when the problem comes from above. They are able to – diplomatically – communicate doubts in ways that are palatable to all parties, whether a boss, a colleague or a direct report. Instead of letting questionable ideas go unchallenged, or allowing issues to fester, they tend to proactively seek positive, timely solutions. They can often constructively identify problems as they arise, and recommend fixes to colleagues before they become monster headaches.

Of course, managers can help cultivate all these traits in their employees but hiring people who have them to begin with makes your job a whole lot easier – and, as suggested in the four traits above, you may find that great employees don’t just perform well themselves, they can also bring out the best in the entire team.