Revealed: The Top 7 Qualities That Make You an Ideal Employee

When looking for a job, remember that knowledge is an asset, and it can be taught. When it comes to character, it’s not something that can be taught.

You will be required to showcase your best qualities, those that speak to the position you are interviewing for. Choose the heavyweight qualities from the pack and use them to make you shine.

“When interviewing a candidate, we not only look for academic qualifications and work experience, but also their personality”, says Muthoni Ndegwa, Recruitment Manager at Corporate Staffing Services. She further advises candidates to always highlight soft skills during interviews, so that you can give the employer an idea of how quickly you can adapt, solve problems, lead a team and motivate others.

Here are 7 top qualities that make an ideal employee, you can incorporate into your job interviews and increase your worth.

1.Positive attitude

We can all agree it’s easy to interact with a friend or colleague who has a positive attitude as they are easy to get along with. On the flip side, nobody ever wants to be around someone who is unhappy, pessimistic and always negative.

An employer will want someone who can swing into action when things go wrong and work towards devising and implementing solutions. Have a positive attitude about your job and help solve problems, instead of being the source of the problem in the organization.

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2. Cultural fit

Every organization has its own culture, and every organization will always want to hear a person whose qualities matches those of their organization. An employee who is a good cultural fit will always be an asset as it will be easy for them to fit within the organization, and work within a team.

And this is not something you can fake; an employer will always tell from how you interact during the interview.

3. Proactive

Are you reactive or proactive? The former waits till they are told to do something, while the latter takes initiative to discover inventive methods to be productive within the organization. A proactive worker always stands out and s/he gets noticed, which leads to them advancing quickly in the workplace.

“An employer will always favour someone who takes action and chances compared to the one who waits to be pushed around”, adds Muthoni.

4. Ambitious

An employee who is ambitious will always go an extra mile, be it for the company goal or just to make their way up the corporate ladder. They set goals and high expectations for themselves as they yearn to progress in their career. Ambitions trigger creative ideas and a go-getter attitude which every employer seeks to find in every candidate.

“An ambitious employee should possess emotional intelligence and maturity so they don’t go alienating colleagues/team members in his/her quest for bigger things. One should be able to find a balance between his ambitions and organizational goals”, advises Muthoni.

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5. Disciplined

A self-disciplined person will never be pushed to perform their duties. An employer will always be at ease as they will not have to worry about slack or lost hours when they have a disciplined person in their organization.

A disciplined employer will not be side-tracked by office distractions such as gossip, s/he manages their organizational life and strive to keep problems at bay. When an employee is disciplined, s/he will report to the office on time and uphold organizational values.

6. Honest and ethical

No matter what skills and qualifications you possess, without ethics and honesty, you are incomplete. Employees that are honest will never lie about their work and/or qualifications and will always be open to feedback be it positive and/or negative for their own learning.

Honest employees uphold organizational values and rules. Honesty goes hand-in-hand with ethics, things that every employee should uphold when representing an organization.

7. Upbeat

That colleague of yours who is always upbeat, fresh and energetic is always productive. An upbeat employee always creates a working environment that is unique and enjoyable for themselves and the people around them.

In the end

Many other traits could be added to the list, but the above will go a long way in seeing you prosper in your career and other aspects of life. Work to improve your personal traits so as to get a stronger footing in your career and increase your growth chances.

Strive to be a good employee and individual from the beginning by setting the right goals, maintaining good health, attaining the proper academic qualifications, and being a resourceful person.

Susan is a Communications Officer at career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke