Your employees are your ambassadors to the business world. They are the face of your company as they are the ones with whom your clients and customers interact. What your employees do and say reflects not only who they are and what they represent, but what your company stands for. Hire wisely and your brand will be consistently represented in a positive way; hire poorly and you could have some major brand image issues.
When hiring, look not only at the competency of the potential employee, but at what kind of first impression they will give to customers. While conducting interviews, make sure to assess not only the candidate’s resume and qualifications, but also the following key characteristics:
- People person: You can train skills, but what you can’t train someone to do is to like people. This is an important quality to look for, but especially for employees who will be dealing directly with customers. Customers want to be treated well, and a people person is more apt to do so.
- Positive attitude: Have you ever been around someone who always has a smile on their face? If you have, you more likely couldn’t help smiling yourself. A positive attitude is contagious, and if it catches on, the positive attitude of one employee has the potential to boost company morale and the overall company culture.
- Humility: Those who see themselves as the smartest person in the room generally don’t work well on a team or with customers. The last thing you want to happen is for employees to talk down to customers and/or come off rude. You want employees that can get the job done in a pleasant and humble manner.
- Team player: If an employee can’t work as part of a team and won’t value the considerations and needs of their co-workers, that individual is not likely to do so for your customers. A team that doesn’t work together well, won’t serve together well.
- Good work ethic: Arguably the most essential characteristic in a new hire is a good work ethic. If the potential new hire isn’t willing to pull his or her own weight, it doesn’t matter if he or she has good people skills, a great attitude, humility, and is a good team player.
Look for candidates who are pro-active and who will take ownership of your company’s best interest, and then be sure to keep offering appreciation for what they offer.
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