Four Qualities You Want in a Potential Employee

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | Talent Management | Hiring | Entrepreneurship | Four Qualities You Want in a Potential EmployeeIf you are involved in the hiring process for your company, you are very likely wise to the fact that searching for and hiring a new employee is no easy task. Along with the pressure of making sure you fill a vacancy in a timely manner, comes the task of sifting through hundreds, maybe thousands of applications to find the ideal candidates.

There are also times when the number of candidates you consider inhibits your ability to pinpoint exactly what qualities would best be suited towards the position that you are looking to fill.

Here are four specific qualities that you should look for when conducting your search for your ideal employee.

1. Excellent Communication Skills

The ability to communicate well, both in speech and the written word, sounds as though it should be a given quality in every candidate. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. It is important that you confirm that the individuals you employ can hold their own when it comes to communication.

The last thing you want to do is to set yourself up to have an employee who is unable to appropriately handle internal communications. If your company is like most others, the day-to-day success of your operation involves many moving parts. From office memos to updates on various projects, it is critical that all those involved have the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

Additionally, if the position you are hoping to fill is one that involves any aspect of client contact, it would be less than ideal to have someone in that position who is unable to adequately communicate with your customers.

For a more specific idea of the communication skills that you should be keeping an eye out for, check out this comprehensive list that the experts at Habits for Wellbeing put together.

2. Advanced Degrees

Not only does the fact that your potential employee has an advanced degree demonstrate a certain level of commitment to the industry in which you both work, but it also shows that this individual has the ability to learn and improve. Furthermore, it also indicates that they have a desire to continue to do both of those things.

Depending on the type of business that you are in, there are particular degrees that seem particularly appealing to employers. Generally speaking, if someone has an MBA, for example, that means that the person you are considering has spent time developing critical skills that will come in handy in the business world.

Don’t be deterred by a candidate who has earned their degree in a less traditional manner, either. More and more students are earning their advanced degrees online, for instance. Prominent and accredited schools like Suffolk University Online MBA can be trusted to have properly educated those who go through their programs.

3. The Right Attitude

The right employee should also come with the right attitude. Remember, this person is going to become a part of your company. You might be in a situation where you will be working side by side with this individual, and in that case, you don’t want to hire someone whose attitude doesn’t fit the bill or your company.

On the other hand, you might be filling a position in another department from yours. In that instance, you want to avoid any potential for future friction amongst other employees.

There are also certain characteristics that tend to make for a good employee no matter what line of work you are in. Does this person seem like they have ambition? Are they positive-minded and pleasant to be around? All of these things are important to consider particularly when you are in the interviewing part of the hiring process.

4. Staying Potential

The last thing you want is to fast-forward to six months from now only to find yourself having to fill the exact same position once again. It is important to find someone who is in it for the long haul. This simply comes down to asking for an honest estimation of the candidate’s dedication to the job you are offering.

Does this person have any long-term plans that might inhibit their ability to stick around? Do they have all the skills that it takes to be a success in this position? If not, you might risk that person falling short of fulfilling all the duties that the job requires of them. In that case, they might be the ones ultimately deciding that it isn’t a good fit.

5 Employee Training Tips for Smoother Operations

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |employee training tips|5 Employee Training Tips for Smoother OperationsIt’s the start of the year, which means you might be onboarding new employees soon.

In order to make your new employees comfortable and get operations running smoothly, you need to train them well.
This article will give you five employee training tips so that your new employees will feel at home in no time.

1. Communicate Well

Good communication is at the heart of any relationship, and that includes employee-boss relations.
It’s important you communicate to your new employees what is expected of them.

Give them clear instructions on daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. If they’re not performing well, communicate early so they’re aware of the problem.

To enhance business communication, use a website like Slack where you and your employees can communicate professionally.

2. Start Small

Beginning a new job can be very overwhelming.

Your new employee is dealing with both the social and mental strains of starting at a new company.

Don’t feel like you have to teach them everything in one sitting. Microlearning and microtraining are great ways to give your employees the information they need in small doses.

This short training time ensures they can stay focused on the information all the way through the training and that nothing falls through the cracks.

3. Try Team Bonding

It’s important that your new employees feel like they can acclimate to your workplace.

They will feel happier at work if they can form bonds with others.

Take your staff out for a team bonding exercise. Try an escape room or another activity that causes everyone to put their heads together.

Bring in lunch for your new staff once a week so everyone can bond over sandwiches. It’s a nice gesture that will show your new employees that you care.

4. Make Welcome Folders

It’s true, we live in the digital age where almost everything is online.

Still, it can be nice for new employees to have learning materials to hold in their hands.

Make them a welcome packet with all the information they need to survive at your company. This packet can be something they take home and study at night so they’re up to speed on their role at the company.

5. Check-In

Be a good boss and check-in on your new employees regularly.

Your senior employees know what they’re doing and don’t need to be asked, but your new employees most likely have questions.

Sometimes they might be too afraid to ask a question out of fear of sounding stupid. Be sure to assure your new employees there are no stupid questions and ask them how they’re doing regularly.

Now You Have the Best Employee Training Tips

These employee training tips will take your new hires from novices to experts quickly.

Remember to include your new employees in team bonding activities, communicate well, and check-in on how they’re doing.

Want more information on how to succeed in the workplace? Check out our other articles for more tips on how to run an effective business.

Employee Training Tips for 2020

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Employee Training|Employee Training Tips for 2020Employee training in many different industries follows a similar pattern. There’s book learning – we give our employees handbooks or guides so that they can read more about their jobs and learn more about our companies. And shadowing – new employees buddy up with a more experienced member of staff, or trainer, to learn on the job, watching, copying and learning from other members of your team. There’s no doubt that these methods are effective. We do learn from reading and copying other people. But, they aren’t the only ways to learn.

Offering your staff a more extensive range of training can help them to improve. More instruction can help new employees to settle, and older members of the team stay on top of their game. If you are looking to boost performance in 2020, some of these training tips and ideas could help.

Microlearning

Often, the problem is that we try to learn too much, too quickly. We struggle to take it all in. We overwhelm our minds. Many managers are guilty or overwhelming employees with new processes or information that they need to learn, and we often give them a relatively short amount of time to do it.

Microlearning can be much more effective. Give people small amounts of information, and give them the time to process it, before moving on. Spend time teaching in small chunks, utilizing coaching, testing and other teaching methods, and breaking everything down as much as possible.

Keeping lessons and training sessions short can also increase information retention. Nowadays, we have very short attention spans. We’re used to scrolling through social media feeds, reading very short statements and watching micro video clips. We’ve gotten used to accessing information in this way, and so our brains struggle to cope with more.

Lose the Dull Team Meetings

Team meetings can seem like an effective way to give all of your employees the same information in one go. It can seem as though this would save you time. But the majority of team meetings are exceptionally dull, and the majority of staff hate them. So, lose them. Have short daily briefings and one on one training sessions instead. If you do need a team meeting, keep it short, and try to make it fun.

Play Some Games

Sometimes, people forget things. Often, simple things. They just slip out of our minds. You might even find that many members of your team forget the same things. Creating games like bingo or puzzles with a crossword puzzle maker can help them to remember. Simple games like this can boost memory and increase knowledge retention.

Keep it Personal

Everyone learns differently. Getting to know your staff members, and learning more about how they work can help you to offer personalized training.

Create Training for Personal Time

More of us than ever are working from home, or on the move. Your team members might be reading training manuals on the train, and not at a desk. Tailor your training to suit this. Record podcasts that they can easily listen to on their commute, or film short videos that they can easily watch on their phones.

How To Create A Productive Office

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StrategyDriven Talent Management ArticleSometimes it’s hard to stay focused when you’re at work, especially if you’re inside a stifling office space on a warm day. Of course, you’d always rather be somewhere else than at work, but what you can do is make your working environment more appealing, more fun, and a productive place to be. If you’re an office manager and you’re considering making changes to the place in order to boost productivity, then your first port of call should be to ask your staff members. Once you’ve got a good idea of what needs changing, and you’ve assessed the suggestions, you can then get to work.

Refurbish

If your office space is looking outdated and is showing signs of wear and tear, then now is the time to consider a complete refurbishment. As long as your budget permits it, gut the entire office in favor of new flooring, freshly painted walls throughout, new and improved desks and chairs, and a reworking of the oppressive overhead lights. Pile the accumulated waste into a dumpster provided by a Dumpster rental Phoenix, so that it can be disposed of responsibly. Clean out your office and strip it back to basics to rebuild an attractive and productive environment.

Encourage Socialization

When it comes to decorating, try and create communal spaces that encourage your team to talk to each other and build relationships. When designing the staffroom, opt for large long couches so that the team has to be convivial and sit next to one another. Prepare group work, and ask that small teams work together to create a final result. Praise the teams for their effort and consideration of others.

Improve Air Quality

Without proper air ventilation, it’s very easy to become unfocused, tired, and to overheat – all of which aren’t going to help your team in trying to be as productive as possible. So, install new ventilation units if the current ones are somewhat lackluster, and keep plants in every available space throughout the premises. After all, not many people object to flowers, fresh greens, and other plants that keep the air clean. Having said this, always makes sure to ask about allergies before adding foliage around the office.

Offer Tea And Coffee

If you work in an office, you’ll understand the importance of caffeinated beverages to power you through the morning. Recognize that your team work hard to achieve their targets and reach their goals, so help them along the way and offer free coffee and tea whenever they might be in need of a pick-me-up. Create an inclusive, friendly environment for your employees, and you might just find that productivity increases tenfold.

Have An Open Door Policy

Your employees need to know that they can approach you whenever they need to discuss something. So, with this in mind, consider operating an open door policy whereby you’re on hand whenever the need arises. Tell your staff that you care about their welfare, their opinion, and possible suggestions about how the office is run and how the company performs. If your team know that you’re there to offer assistance and help them, then they should feel more relaxed, understood, and willing to work hard.

Investing in Your Employees: 4 Ways To Attract and Keep Hold of Top Talent

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Attracting Talent|Investing in Your Employees: 4 Ways To Attract and Keep Hold of Top TalentSecuring top talent is undeniably essential to the long-term success of any business.

But certain high-level professional skills are in incredibly high demand. There are so many roles to fill, that those who have proven their ability can afford to be picky, and to move on if they aren’t satisfied with the position.

So now the job market swings so heavily in favour of these candidates, how can you attract them to join your enterprise, and convince them to stay for the long haul? If you’re looking for some pointers, check out the list below.

Know Your Value

Highly-trained candidates with specialist skills will have many employment options. So your recruitment process needs to be as much about communicating the value and potential of your business, as it is about assessing their suitability for the role.

What are the wider repercussions of the work you do? What are you proud of having achieved? And what are you striving for in the future?

Your employees want to feel that they will contribute significantly to something progressive and exciting. Make it clear how they will fit in, how their skills will move the business forward, and how they can become part of something impactful.

Invest in your promotional material – your website, careers pages, videos, and personal communication from your team – to spread this message loud and clear.

More Than Just A Job

A long-term career is more than just a job. It’s a personal investment that touches every aspect of your life. And potential candidates will want to know that your business puts time and effort into developing a healthy work-life balance.

Can you offer more flexible working hours? Can you give the option to work at home when needed? How does your business support parents, or those will disabilities? Do you provide meals, activities, or mental health initiatives for employees?

Think about what is going to be important to the contentment of your employees outside of the role and the salary. Because family, health and happiness will play a bigger role in their decision than just about anything else.

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Attracting Talent|Investing in Your Employees: 4 Ways To Attract and Keep Hold of Top TalentInvest in Their Professional Development

Smart, ambitious people will get restless in a job that doesn’t challenge them or lead somewhere exciting. And when they feel like they’re stagnating or heading towards a dead-end, your employees will simply look for employment opportunities elsewhere.

So it’s important to discuss the professional development goals of your employees and plan regularly how to facilitate them. This might include gaining experiences in other roles, learning new skills through outside IT Training, or training for management or leadership positions.

Wherever they want to go, you should do your best to help them progress. Because a sense of purpose comes hand in hand with loyalty and motivation.

The Social Side

One of the biggest factors in job satisfaction is having good friendships with your colleagues. So working hard to foster the social side of your business is absolutely essential.

Take the time to introduce new employees to the team and try using a buddy system to make sure they feel supported from day one.

Invest in social events and team building exercises and give people the chance to get to know each other outside of work.

And if you have a great social environment already, let potential candidates know this! Show them around the office and give them a sense of how much fun it would be to work here. Because if they feel like they’ll fit right in, they’ll pick you over your competitors.