4 Non-Negotiable Qualities I Look For In Hiring

There are certain qualities I look for in a person in which determines the kind of relationship I choose to have with them. I believe the degree of my personal relationships, whether professional or personal, are determined by the qualities I listed below. If you have a relationship with a person who does not add to promoting or improving your quality of life, than they are perhaps unintentionally diminishing it. These qualities will help employers as well as individuals who are interested in making the right choice of those they allow in their space.

Honesty

I look for integrity in a person’s life, because if you can’t trust a person, it is difficult to build a quality structural business or relationship. We live in a society where lying is a common practice, and no one seems to care unless they are the ones being lied to. In case you didn’t know, honesty is telling the truth. In other words, we conform our words to reality. On the other hand, integrity is conforming reality to our words. It is keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. Therefore, when I employ the term “honesty,” I am alluding to both honesty and integrity.

At the most basic level of human characteristics, an honest person does not lie. They will not exaggerate or misrepresent the facts. They do not withhold negative information. They will give you the good, the bad, and the ugly. They have the courage to face reality head-on and make their words conform to it. They would never ask someone else to lie on their behalf or to cover for them.

They are also honest in giving others feedback and they are able to be direct without being insensitive. They refuse to create unnecessary drama, and they do not say anything about those who are absent that they wouldn’t say if they were present.

Humility

An unassuming person doesn’t mean they are egotistical in a quiet way. A person with the characteristic of humility has a good sense of him or herself. They do not think more highly of themselves than they should which deals with pride, nor do they think lower of themselves than they ought which lends itself to having a poor self-esteem. They are sober-minded and usually unruffled by compliments, having a realistic grip on their strengths and weaknesses.

It is important to this person not to exhibit a life of self-importance, thinking that the world center’s around them. They may display determination and get-up-and-go for the cause, for the company, or for the team, but they are not ambitious for themselves. They are not overly-concerned about titles, status, or position in comparison to others.

Proactive

A proactive person takes a practical, hands-on approach to life. They are hungry and single-minded with an appetite for accomplishment. Metaphorically speaking, their last meal or last accomplishment is already a fading memory. They know what they want and they want it now. They are not impatient, just eager. They are looking for the next project, the next challenge or the next obstacle so they can figure it out like a Rubik’s cube.

They don’t spend their time dwelling on past accomplishments. They realize life is about living and living is about activity or movement. If a person isn’t moving, they must be dead. They are always reaching for more—setting higher goals. This is the kind of person who is driven to exceed whatever expectations have been imposed upon them. This is just a part of their make-up. They love figuring something out, especially if they have had no prior knowledge of it.

A hungry proactive person is intellectually curious. They read regularly —newspapers, magazines, and books. They love learning new things and sharing what they’ve learned with others. They can’t just sit around because it would just about kill them—not in a literal sense.

A proactive person will come to a meeting prepared, having completed his or her assignment. In the meeting, they are active listeners, asking questions and taking notes. They are not intimidated by the apathy of others or the views of others because of their active involvement and concern about getting the much needed information to do a job correctly. After the meeting, they follow up. They complete their assignments on-time without someone having to prod them to do so. They are relentless when it comes to execution. Although this is an admirable trait, others working around them are sometimes disturbed because their high-powered standards exposes the low standards they may govern their lives by.

Resolute Thinker

This is a person who is not afraid of making decisions. However, unlike strong-minded and sometimes unbendable people, the resolute thinker is one who makes calculated decisions. He or she believes rather mentally, orally, or by written annotation that collecting data is a necessity. They can easily spot a person ill prepared for their task, or a product part that is faulty or sub-standard. They will never sell or offer such a sub-quality product for the sake of a sell.

A Resolute Thinker is usually a person who exercises initiative and is very resourceful. This person is mainly resolution oriented and secondarily results responsive. In other words, to solve a problem is more important than getting the results, which may eventually reveal a lack of prioritizing for a company. He or she will work better in customer service or human resource departments. They are good at reading personalities and good at helping people figure out what they want. If you are an employer, put this person in front as a representative, and your rewards will be returned by an enormous amount of compliments.

For the employer who is looking for a good employee, these standards should be non-negotiable. It’s hard to find the buried treasure unless you have a map. It’s difficult to win a scavenger hunt unless you have a list. And, it’s impossible to hire the right people unless you know exactly what you are looking for.

Recommended Reading:

I frequently say, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” I strongly believe this statement; therefore, I have taken the time to recommend reading material that I believe will greatly benefit your life and business endeavors. Click the images to see more information or to order the books from Amazon.com.