Warning: include(content/slide.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/www/careerlinkbc.com/blog.php on line 15
Warning: include(): Failed opening 'content/slide.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/php5.4/lib/php') in /home/www/careerlinkbc.com/blog.php on line 15
I consider myself a good employee.
What Makes a Good Employee?
By Maureen Latta Thursday, August 29, 2013Employers are looking for the best employee when they make hiring decisions. But what makes a good employee? Having the right qualifications is a start, but sometimes employers are willing to hire someone who doesn’t have all of the required qualifications-if the employer thinks the applicant will be a good employee.
What makes a good employee? Are you a good employee? Can you become a better one? Anyone can benefit from taking a step back and assessing their own characteristics as an employee. Here are five top characteristics of a good employee:
Motivated
“All you can do is plant your seed in the ground, water it, and believe. That is what allowed me to be in this position right now. I would not stop believing.”
- Tyler Perry, actor, director and producer, went from homeless to multimillionaire in three years
Being a motivated employee means showing up early to work, rather than sliding in seconds before your shift. It means being engaged with the job, your coworkers and your employers. It means striving to do more for the company than just completing tasks. It means acting like you’re not just there for the paycheque. Employees who treat the company like it is their own are extremely valuable assets to any business.
Hardworking
“In the environmental movement … our victories always seem to be temporary and we keep fighting them over and over again.”
- David Suzuki, geneticist, environmentalist, author and media personality, at 76 years old shows no signs of slowing down
Hardworking employees are not just the ones who sweat the most or work the longest hours. Hard workers are people who find ways to improve processes, services, or products at the company. They are the ones who do what needs to be done without waiting to be told. They are always willing to learn a new skill because they see the value for themselves and for the company in continual upgrading.
Integrity
“In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first one, the other two will kill you.”
- Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has pledged to give away 99 % of his fortune to philanthropic causes
Integrity encompasses qualities such as trustworthiness, honesty and reliability. Obviously a good employee is one who can be trusted not to cheat the company. But beyond the basics, an employee with integrity is someone who takes responsibility for outcomes. An employer values a worker who can be trusted with responsibility and who doesn’t need to be babysat. At the same time, a good employee will speak up when a question needs to be asked. There’s no point breaking the photocopier just because you’re afraid to ask how it works.
Good communicator
“I believe that every single event that happens in life is an opportunity to choose love over fear.”
- Oprah Winfrey, whose success as television’s most influential woman is attributed to her communication style
A good communicator knows how to accept constructive criticism gracefully and how to offer feedback tactfully. The mark of an artful communicator is someone who places the quality of other people’s experience above his or her own. Regardless of the content of a particular interaction, the good communicator wants above all for the other person to come away with as positive a feeling as possible from the encounter. How you go about doing this is your own personal communication style.
Team player
“Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction to be successful.”
- Wayne Gretsky, rated all-time best team hockey player
A team player embraces collaboration and understands the value that each player brings to the table. A team player by definition must be a good listener because if you’re always the one doing the talking or the deciding, you won’t be fostering a healthy team mentality. Likewise, if you rarely talk or take the initiative to move a decision forward, you aren’t a strong team player. A team player always acknowledges the contribution of others in the successful execution of a task.
Visitor Comments
Be the first to comment on this blog.