What Personalities Make the Best Employees?

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Many businesses look for employees that possess specific hard skills. They may consider previous experience or education above all other available qualities. But these aren’t always the ideal traits on which to focus. Hard skills can be taught to the right candidate, but many personality traits are fairly ingrained. By choosing applicants based on their personalities first, and their ability to learn the right skills, you may find yourself with a better employee in the end.

But what personalities make the best employees? Those that possess the traits listed below.

Intelligence

Intelligence isn’t a measurement of what someone knows. Instead, it is an indication of their ability to learn. An intelligent individual will be able to pick up new skills quickly and can adapt to changing environments. Plus, they can take the knowledge they have today and apply it to situations in new ways, helping them solve problems even when they don’t inherently know all of the details.

Choosing an intelligent person means you are selecting a candidate based on capacity and potential. And, when intelligence is combined with the right attitude, it means the possibilities are almost limitless as to where they can go with the proper direction.

Ambition

A great employee is going to be a person who sees themselves moving towards something great. The thrive on new experiences and have a plan for their careers. Candidates who lack drive and direction likely won’t be easily inspired to give their all. However, an applicant who sees the potential the job holds for themselves will likely put in more effort, which will ultimately be a benefit to your company.

Confidence

When an employee is presented with a challenge, you want them to have the confidence to face it head on. They need to be secure in what they know as well as their ability to work through problems and deal with the unfamiliar. Often, confident employees are able to function with a level of autonomy, meaning they won’t need someone to hold their hand every step of the way. That, and they are going to be inclined to use their intelligence to find answers to their questions so that they can keep moving forward.

Cultural Fit

One key point that will vary for every business is choosing employees that fit the culture of your company. Different organizations have different methods and norms. Choosing employees that will thrive in your current environment will yield better results than hiring a rockstar talent who can’t work to their potential based on your company’s culture.

For example, a candidate who needs to work without distractions isn’t an ideal choice if your workplace has embraced the open office format. Similarly, someone who values high levels of collaboration might not be the best pick for a remote position that will be based from their home.

Modesty

Sometimes actions speak louder than words, and someone who is all words may not truly be a person of action. Those with modesty can feel confident without having to brag or showboat. And they often don’t need to defend their value, as it is clearly seen in all they do.

Are you looking for top talent to add to your current team?

While finding the ideal personality traits may seem like a challenge, it is certainly worth the effort. If you are looking for your next ideal employee, the recruitment professionals at Resolution Technologies have the expertise to help you find candidates with the ideal traits. Contact us and let our expertise work for you.

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Top Characteristics You Need to Stand Out in an Interview

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Hiring managers may interview dozens of potentially qualified candidates when looking to fill a position, and it isn’t always easy to stand out from that crowd. Certain pieces of interview advice are well-known, making it hard to differentiate yourself based on points like explaining how your skills would benefit the company or having a firm handshake.

So, what characteristics do you need to display to demonstrate you are an ideal choice for a position? Aside from having the right skills and experience, here are the traits that can make you memorable amongst a sea of applicants.

Self-Awareness

Some of the most common interview questions and prompts, including “can you tell me a little about yourself” and “what is your greatest weakness,” are actually designed to see if you have the ability to evaluate your capabilities in a meaningful way. Additionally, it helps determine if you will be honest about your strengths and your shortcomings.

Strong candidates will be able to provide thoughtful responses to questions such as these. Additionally, they will demonstrate that they know themselves well and that they understand where they need to improve.

Humanity

While rehearsing some of your interview responses can help you keep your answers polished, don’t feel like you need to hide all of your humanity. In the end, interviewers hire a person, not just a set of skills and experiences. If the only things that matter are who you are on paper, then interviews wouldn’t be necessary.

That means being likable is just as important as anything else, and you can’t build a rapport without displaying some of your personality. So, abandon the robot persona and don’t be afraid to act natural. You’re more likely to be seen as warm and genuine if you don’t stress over maintaining a sense of perfection with every response. And, if the interview considers you friendly, they may be more inclined to hire you for the position.

Enthusiasm

Another benefit of avoiding overly canned responses is you can exhibit a level of enthusiasm regarding your chosen career field and the potential of the position. Most candidates work at being fairly restrained throughout the interview, but demonstrating some excitement can make you seem more personable, and may even inspire some enthusiasm in the interviewer, especially in regards to offering you the position.

Often, enthusiasm is somewhat contagious, and it is a feeling we all enjoy. So, express how happy you are to be considered for the position in a genuine way, and you’ll leave a more favorable impression.

Confidence

If you didn’t possess the qualifications the employer was looking for, you wouldn’t be interviewing for the position. So, having a level of confidence in those skills is critical. When answering questions about your experience, don’t be afraid to stand behind your abilities. Failing to do so may leave the interviewing wondering if your abilities were exaggerated on your application, or at least makes you seem unsure.

Additionally, make sure to make eye contact while you answer, and don’t be afraid to smile while talking. And, if you are sure your skills can meet their needs, convey that in your responses.

Are you looking for a new opportunity?

If you are looking for your next employment opportunity, the recruiters at Resolution Technologies are here to help. Contact us and see what opportunities are available today.

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How Can You Motivate Your Team to Try New Ideas?

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They say the only constant in the world is change; and businesses that fail to change often find themselves falling behind. But motivating your team to embrace new ideas isn’t always easy, even if the change is necessary. So, when push comes to shove, how can you motivate your team to try new ideas when the time for change arrives? By providing the guidance they need to feel confident in the shift.

And reaching that state of confidence can be achieved. To help you along that journey, here are some key steps to lay the groundwork necessary for implementing a new idea.

1. Articulate Your Vision

Your team needs to know more than what is changing; they also need to know why. Being clear about your intentions, as well as the final goal, can help them understand the new course they will be following. Often, change is easier to embrace when the destination is clear. While you might not be able to predict every impact the change will make, letting your employees know the primary purpose will help them prepare to manage the unexpected in the name of the greater good.

2. Delegate Properly

When change requires specific actions, make sure you delegate the tasks properly. Choose actions that play to each team member’s strengths and interests. That way, they have an opportunity to flourish while the changes are taking place, and you increase their level of engagement during the process.

If it is appropriate, you can even get your teams input regarding which tasks interest them the most. Then, you’ll have the information you need to help choose tasks that peek their interest. And, once they’re interested, moving forward with the changes won’t seem as intimidating.

3. Encourage Communication

Silence is the enemy of change. As things move forward, questions will arise, and concerns will surface. Managing these issues requires an active approach. Maintain an open-door policy throughout the process, and make sure to check in with team members on a regular basis.

Now, this doesn’t mean you need to give significant time whenever an employee just wants to complain. Instead, make sure to listen to concerns, but enforce an attitude of working towards a resolution and not simply dwelling on the fear or discomfort that change naturally brings.

4. Don’t Let Discontent Fester

While being available to team members and being open in regards to hearing out concerns is important, don’t let an attitude of discontent and negativity gain a significant foothold. Once a consistent point of resistance begins to spread, it can be challenging to move forward. If a particular employee is only focusing on the negative, make sure to address that specifically. Otherwise, they may end up poisoning the perspective of other team members and creating an unpleasant environment for everyone.

5. Stay Flexible

Just because you decided to try something new doesn’t mean you have to see it all through no matter what. Sometimes a change looked good on paper but doesn’t work as well in practice. If everyone is giving their all to the new process and it isn’t producing the results that were expected, be open to making additional changes to get things moving in the right direction. And, if it turns out that the new idea is simply not going to work, then don’t be afraid to stop everything and start from scratch. That will help you build more support from your team over the long-term as they know that just because a change gets started that it won’t be forced to completion if it simply doesn’t work. And, in the end, that’s just being a good manager.

Are you looking for new talent to join your team?

If your next big change is bringing in a new employee, the professionals at Resolution Technologies are here to make that change a breeze. Contact us today and speak to one of our recruitment professionals, and see how working with us can be a welcomed change for you and your business.

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4 Leadership Tips You Need to be Project Manager

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Project management requires more than superior organizational skills; it requires the ability to lead as well. Much of a project’s success is based on the ability of the project manager to coordinate the efforts of many individuals, at times spread across a variety of disciplines. Additionally, they must also be capable of carrying the vast majority of the burden associated with the project’s completion.

Even if everyone’s leadership style is varied, there are certain fundamental qualities a strong leader possesses. And whether you have years of management experience or are spearheading your first project, everyone can use some guidance from time to time. With that in mind, here are four leadership tips you need to be successful in the position of project manager.

1. Strong Leaders Communicate Clearly and Often

Project managers encounter professionals from a range of fields and specialty areas. Additionally, they have to ensure that all of these professionals can work well together, or at least toward the same goal. And that requires effective communication skills.

Leading a project requires everyone to have a clear understanding of the overall vision, as well as a thorough knowledge of the objectives and performance expectations. And you must be able to explain these points to all parties involved.

Additionally, Being able to listen to team members to gain critical insight and having the ability to provide constructive feedback helps keep the project moving forward, and remaining on target, even when unexpected issues or delays arise.

2. The Right Attitude Goes a Long Way

Part of a project manager’s job is to maintain an air of confidence and enthusiasm regarding the project. Keeping a positive attitude helps other members of the team maintain one themselves and can increase overall productivity. Any doubt expressed on the part of leadership will impact the performance of the team, and may actually cause a fear regarding the project’s viability to become a reality.

Additionally, leaders are able to maintain a level of calm even when things go awry. Strong leaders don’t panic when the project isn’t going to plan, and they are able to convey a sense of cool collectedness to the other team members to help get things back on track.

3. You Can’t Do it All

At times, almost every leader is hesitant to delegate; instead, they try to manage every task within their purview on their own. However, a project’s success is often contingent on the collective skills of the members of the team and failing to delegate leaves some of that potential untapped.

It is important to assess the skills of the team and to give them the opportunity to work based on their strengths. Not only will this help keep the project moving forward in a timely fashion, but it will also lower the level of stress the project manager must take on personally.

4. You Must Be Decisive

Decision-making is a requirement in project management, and when a critical decision must be made, it is important to be decisive. Delaying a decision can have a negative impact on the project, and hedging means that team members might not have a clear idea regarding how they should proceed. When it comes time to pick a direction, manage your research quickly. Then, once a choice is made, make sure everyone involved knows the result.

Are you looking for a new job?

Successful project managers rely on their leadership skills as much as their technical ones and having the proper combination will help drive you toward success. If you are interested in becoming a project manager or are looking for your next opportunity in the field, Resolution Technologies can help you explore any opportunities that may be available to you. Contact us to discuss project management opening in your area.

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