Successful Job Candidates All Share These Character Traits

New year, new job.

Successful Job Candidates

Hardworking. Positive. Self-motivated. Confident. Flexible. It might sound straight-forward but just like you want a unique and dependable product in your flat, a boss wants the same on his payroll.

The cookie-cutter qualities above are great, but do they truly make an employee stand out amongst his peers?

Here are six character traits bosses actually look for in their respective employees and why they matter.

Reliability

Being reliable is important for productivity. If a boss can’t depend on his employee to fulfill responsibilities and hit deadlines, how can the team deliver on time? A boss will turn to a reliable employee in times of need, keeping them in mind for a raise or promotion in the future. This won’t happen if they can’t depend on them.

Freelancers aren’t excluded from this character trait. No client will recommend or re-contract you if they have a less than desirable experience because you weren’t reliable. Be open and communicate with the people you work with. If you’re going to be OOO for a week, make sure they don’t pass any assignments your way during that time.

Admirability

If you follow Jeff Bezos and Amazon news, you might have come across this article on questions Jeff Bezos asks himself about potential new hires. The notion of being admirable goes beyond initial hiring, as he states in the article. Working with someone you admire makes you work harder and creates a sense of community amongst the team.

So, how does one become admirable? Get to know your work mates outside the office space. Drop by their social pages, get a feel for what and who they admire. If a concern arises in the office, address it as soon as you can. The more respect you have for your co-workers, the more admirable you are in everybody’s eyes.

Honesty

You can’t get away with bulls*** in the workplace. A manager can detect a lie from a mile away and will quickly lose respect for you when caught in one. Whether it’s client facing or internal, authenticity and transparency in the workplace are crucial. It strengthens relationships and creates an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable and satisfied.

Humility

We know you’re great. You know you’re great. But no everyone wants to hear about how great you are. Stay humble about your accomplishments and continue to show value through your work, not your words.

Effectiveness

A respective employee doesn’t just do the bare minimum and go home. Another snippet from the Jeff Bezos piece, he states “the bar has to continuously go up. I ask people to visualize the company 5 years from now”.

Again, this translates post-interview. Push the limits of your company. Share your creative vision, communicate where you want to see the company go, and grow in your role. Your boss doesn’t want to promote someone who isn’t passionate about the brand.

Strategist

Everything involves a plan. You can’t obtain a goal without laying out the blueprint for how you will get there. The strategist won’t be afraid to take risks to bring a vision to reality. They’ll be able to make decisions, think independently, and be assertive to push the envelope.

A Final Thought

It’s not rocket science when you think about it but if you really do need the science to back up the aforementioned, it’s worth noting that SkillsSurvey looked at 10,000 references in order to list five of the most positive traits of successful jobseekers across 16 different industries.

The analysis highlighted commitment, dependability, team orientation, attention to detail, and attitude as its most sought after by employers. Whilst this is similar to the aforementioned above, we need to add that being yourself is also paramount.

Be transparent and comfortable in your own skin. You’re a magnificent bastard paving his own legacy so own it in your workplace and you’ll see results. Unless your natural self involves being a scheming weirdo. In that case, maybe don’t be yourself and learn to be a man of integrity and drive instead.