The Equality of Cultural Fit to Skill

By: Mary Gehr

August 16, 2018

Today, it is not always what the candidate knows but how they will fit in to the organization. Information can always be taught, but personality traits have already been instilled. When recruiting, personality can mean the difference between an employee who doesn't stay long and fails to produce vs. an all-star who is going to significantly increase your competitive advantage.

Regardless of the industry or individual diversity, your ideal employee population should share some important common traits. Here are 10 traits to make your shortlist.

1. Pro-Active – Hire employees who are not afraid to take chances and embrace change. While chances may lead to failure, they will more often lead to success and mold confidence while generating new ideas. Stagnant employees won't make your company money; pro-active employees will.

2. Agile – Employees should be flexible, nimble, and quick. They should be able to react and respond to changing needs and customer desires. It’s about taking everything as lessons, adjusting actions in accordance to feedback, and proceeding toward desired outcomes, resulting in continuous improvement. 

3. Knowledge hungry – If you want to keep your workers from having one foot out the door, you need to make sure you're constantly teaching them new skills that will offer them the ability to learn something new. Many employees also want to ensure their employer is giving them the chance to keep the skills they already have current. 

4. Humble - Humble people automatically share credit because they instinctively realize that every effort, no matter how seemingly individual, is actually a team effort. Humble people are willing to take on any job, no matter how menial, because they realize no job is beneath them...and in the process they prove that no job is above them. 

5. Servant leader – Not Self-Serving - Puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. The servant employee may not get all the limelight...but the right people definitely notice.

6. Autonomous - These employees have the ability to work on tasks by themselves with very little help. Not only would it free your time and focus on more urgent projects, it also builds a trust between the employee and you.

7. Confident - Confidence produces results and encourages employees to take on challenges that others shy away from. 

8. Ambitious - Employees Ambition is what makes a company innovative, it's what drives creative ideas and what generates candor and openness amongst employees.

9. Positive Energy - Employees who come into work fresh and energetic are going to out produce workers who think negatively and easily burn-out when they encounter defeat.   Upbeat and optimistic employees create a working environment that is unique, drive new ideas and stand up to failure and competition with confidence.

10. Passionate - Employees who are passionate about their job never work a day in their life. While money should be a motivator in all individuals whom you hire, make sure that they enjoy the journey when pursuing that end-goal.

In Summary

While there may be many more traits that are important to a productive environment, you cannot train someone to have integrity, a great work ethic, self-confidence or resiliency. Be flexible on your requirements, but be stringent on personality traits. They can have a huge impact on your company culture.