This month’s topic is an interesting one, as we look at identifying the characteristics of a top performing employee. Working in this industry for so many years, our consultants have developed a checklist to help us identify potential top performers.
However, before we can venture into that, we must first decide on a clear definition of what a top performing employee is. Is it someone who shows up on time, excels at communication, or is a natural leader? All of these are great skills to have, but certain skills are valued more depending on the role of the employee.
For our purposes, let’s agree that a top performer is an ideal combination of the aforementioned indicators – equally smart, capable and enthusiastic, with the ability to become an influential leader. Working in this industry for so many years, our consultants have developed a checklist to help us identify potential top performers. That list includes a variety of traits that easily define a top performer; and here they are:
Four Traits Top Performing Employees Share
Work Ethic:
Having a strong work ethic is a characteristic that every employer would want in a future employee. A valued employee is not simply the person who is willing to work hard; they are the employee who searches out ways to contribute most. A person with a great work ethic would have a history of demonstrating their willingness to contribute, as well as a desire to lead and come up with ideas on their own.
Skills development:
A clear sign of a good employee and one you can identify simply by looking at their resume is someone who has and continues to improve their skills to become even better. These employees continually look for ways to learn and grow personally and professionally, in a way that helps the growth of the organization.
Cool under pressure:
Confidence is a great trait that translates positively into any potential role or career path. Having confidence gives top performers the ability to clearly analyze situations and solve problems – especially in roles that involve tight deadlines. Having the ability to be cool as a cucumber even in the stickiest of situations – is a quality someone on your team should always possess.
Good people skills:
Top performers tend to have larger professional networks than your typical workers. They realize the importance of “who you know” and how it can often help advance a career. When necessary, they will call on their contacts inside and outside the company for knowledge and insight into how to approach a problem or for general support. They don’t necessarily have to be an extrovert, but they should understand the value of nurturing professional relationships.
These four traits top performing employees share are just a few of the traits we look for when seeking out candidates, however, it’s not always easy to identify these traits simply by looking at a resume or conducting an interview. So it’s very important to have the ability to pick up clues from a resume, such as length of service, and to craft your interview questions accordingly. Working with a seasoned human resources consultant to develop a strategy will give you the advantage and knowledge you need to recruit top performers for your team.
