What is the most important factor when choosing employee in the workplace?
“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you’ll have more success than you could possibly have imagined.” —Roger Caras Show
Have you ever been asked, “What do you look for in a job?” Perhaps a friend has asked you that out of curiosity, or you’ve heard it at a job interview. The default thought is often the pay. After all, that’s why many of us get jobs, right? But dig deeper and you will find many more factors to consider in what to look for in a job. Minimalism has many benefits. It gives freedom, time, and reduces stress. Minimalism also reduces the amount of money required for life. As a result, it provides an opportunity to choose work based on a number of factors—not just the size of the paycheck. Once we learn contentment with less, we are free to weigh any number of factors in choosing work. Embrace minimalism. It opens up countless opportunities in life and work. To help you enjoy waking up in the morning, consider these 12 things to look for in a job: 1) It makes a positive differenceChoose a job that adds value to our world, that leaves it better than you found it, and genuinely helps other people. 2) You enjoy your co-workersGiven the fact that you will spend a large percentage of your day at work, be sure you enjoy the people around you. It is comforting to know that they support you, cheer for you, and work together as a team. 3) You feel appreciated and valuedA paycheck is nice, but that goes straight to the bank. On the other hand, appreciation is something you carry in your soul every day. This appreciation can be communicated through respect, unexpected gifts, or just an old-fashioned “thank-you.” 4) You are trustedIt’s nice to know that somebody isn’t always looking over your shoulder. And when you are given a task, you are given the freedom to complete it. 5) It is something you love to doThe old adage is completely true, “Find a job that you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Look for a job that keeps you motivated by its very nature, not solely by the paycheck – because that wears off real fast. 6) It fits your personalityAnyone who has ever taken a personality test knows we all have unique personalities that thrive in certain environments. Some enjoy working with people, others enjoy completing tasks. Some like making the decisions, others don’t. Find a job that fits your sweet spot. And by the way, if you keep getting this one wrong, there are people who can help you. 7) It challenges you to growLook for a job that will make you better and allow you to work hard. Whether through challenging assignments, educational opportunities, demanding excellence, or informal mentors, a job that forces you to grow beyond your current skill set will make you a better person and it, a better company. 8) The company’s values align with yoursAt the end of the day, your integrity is what matters most. Don’t compromise it every time you walk into the workplace. If you are at a job that requires you to suspend your personal convictions, you don’t need to be—nor should you be. 9) A flexible, results-oriented cultureA culture of flexibility suggests a results-driven focus—one that is more interested in you successfully completing your job with excellence than clocking in a set amount of work hours during a specified time of the day. 10) It values familyYou value your family. Your job should too. 11) It brings balance to lifeWork is not so bad when you love it. But if you are not allowed to explore other endeavors (play/hobbies/family) because of its demands, it is not healthy for your soul, life, or body. Find a job that allows you to enjoy your life outside of work too. 12) It brings you satisfactionThe ability to look back at your day, your year, or your life with satisfaction is more valuable than any number of digits in the bank. Own less stuff. Do work you love. Next time you’re asked about what you’re looking for in a job, you’ll have a dozen fantastic answers that go beyond just pay. One of the most important acts of running a successful business is hiring employees. A bad decision can hurt your customer base, efficiency and profits. Use these considerations to arm yourself with the right employees when hiring. skynesher | Getty ImagesConsider skills and personality when hiring.Both skills and personality are important to consider when hiring. Making sure your potential employee has the right skill set for the job is crucial to ensure you are choosing the best candidate to meet your business goals. Asking good questions during the interview is a sure-fire way to hire employees with the right set of skills and the ability to use those skills successfully. You want someone with the knowledge as well as a successful track record. Here are some questions to ask candidates:
Personality is also an important factor in hiring employees. Culture fit has the potential to make or break an employees' experience in any business, as well as affect their ability to perform to their potential. Interviewing, at least in part, for personality can help show what kind of person would be good in a high-stress role or a role that involves multitasking. Some characteristics to look for include a good sense of self-assessment, knowing their strength and weaknesses, and a dedication to development, both personally and professionally. Related: How to Hire Like a Pro Common mistakes employers make.Hiring can be a bit overwhelming for many reasons, sometimes avoidable ones. One of the most common mistakes employers make when hiring is not clearly defining the roles or responsibilities of the job. This creates confusion within the hiring team as well as with the job applicants, thus causing more stress and an inefficient, lengthy hiring process. Consider taking more time to update the job description with the role that your business needs. This may have changed since the last time you were hiring and the responsibilities needed on your team may have shifted. Taking the time to truly assess your business needs and the type of person you envision in the role is important in making a good hiring decision. Another common mistake when hiring employees, according to Entrepreneur contributor Deep Patel, is to hire a candidate for the company culture and not necessarily for the position. While personality and culture fit are important, they should not be the deciding factor for hiring a candidate. There are other considerations that should weigh heavier for hiring employees than culture fit including skill set, successful past experiences, and the potential for development. All of these factors are necessary in order to find a good fit but beware of searching for the perfect candidate -- they don't exist. It all comes down to knowing what you're looking for in a candidate and how much of it you can teach. Related: If You're Not Hiring Ahead, You've Already Fallen Behind Above all, know what (and who) you're looking for.Ultimately, the best thing you can do to successfully hire employees for your business is to be clear about your needs and wants for the position. As stated above, investing extra time in updating and clearly defining your job description will lay the groundwork for a successful hiring process. This can start with an in-depth look at how you want to grow your business and the type of role you need to meet your growth goals. Ask yourself tough questions about what your business needs in order to successfully meet goals and if those goals are attainable in the time frame you set. Once you've done that and updated your job description, you can start thinking about the type of person you envision in that role -- the characteristics and skills that make a candidate ideal for that position. While that structure is good to know what kind of person you are looking for, avoid having a closed mind during the process. Staying flexible will allow hiring to be smoother and will lower the amount of frustration when interviewing. Though the perfect candidate doesn't exist, the best one for you is out there. They may not look exactly like what you pictured but they'll get you where you need to go. Hiring employees is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business. It is pertinent to take it seriously and do your due diligence. Planning and strategy are important parts of the process. Avoiding common mistakes and having a clear picture of the kind of person you need for the role will help you make the right decision every time. Entrepreneur Editors' Picks
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