Your employees are the ones who are responsible for making things happen for you. Human resource is perhaps the most easy to find among all the resources which you might need to operate your business in a smooth and efficient manner. Talking about your employees, it’s not just having randomly chosen individuals. Qualified employees are the one who makes the difference. In the following section, you will be provided an insight on how to find qualified employees and other related aspects.
What do you Mean by Qualified Employee:
At the very outset, let me make it absolutely clear. Here the term “qualified” does not only refer to ones educational qualification. It goes way beyond that. To put in simple terms, being qualified is about being fit for the job. Someone who would be a perfect match for a particular profile is a qualified employee. If you are wondering, how any other aspects, but educational qualifications can determine the quality if an individual; then let me give you an example in the next segment
Being qualified is not only about having a sound Educational Background – an Example:
If you are looking for an accountant, then you would want someone who has gained his fair amount of educational background, maybe a couple of degrees. On the other hand, if you are looking for a mechanic, then the educational qualification doesn’t really matter a lot. It is all about whether that individual is fitting enough to carry out his responsibilities.
How to Recognize Qualified Employees?
It does not require a high level of IQ or a rocket scientist to figure out whether an individual is qualified or not. There are certain common traits which can be associated with these groups of individuals. In this context, it needs to be mentioned, that if you expect every single employee working for you to be qualified; in the sense of being a perfect match, then you are asking for too much. Let me be very candid and tell you that it is not going to happen. Especially, if you have a big concern and a fair amount of employees. Having said this, it is your handful of qualified employees who will make the difference. They will fill in the gaps and deficiencies which are being created.
Talking about the ways to recognize qualified employees, here are a few hallmarks which can help you in this regard.
1. Discipline:
In any field, discipline is the key to success. This is one aspect which makes competent and qualified individuals stand out in a crowd. A disciplined individual would be strict in terms of punctuality, he would be serious and will operate in a “no –excuse” zone.
2. Accountability:
This is one important trait of a qualified employee. Once a job is being assigned to him; he would be the one who would take up the entire responsibility. He would never pass the buck to someone else in case of a failure. He would appreciate for being rewarded and at the same would own up to his mistakes.
3. Passionate:
A qualified individual would always be in charge of a given situation. He would want to perform and be in the limelight. He won’t mind putting in extra effort to impress his employers. He would approach his job with a lot of passion. At times, he might get carried away and commit certain mistakes which are not called for. However, once he is given a proper guidance, he can certainly get his acts together and prove to be an asset for the company over a period of time.
4. Leading from the Front:
In today’s business world, leaders make the difference. Every company is looking for individuals who are aggressive, candid and are prepared to take initiatives in order to make things happen. Leadership quality is one of the inherent features of a qualified employee. He would be the one, despite of his level of seniority, who would always like to be in charge. You can count on him during an hour of crisis.
5. Higher Aspirations:
A qualified individual would have high aspirations. He would want to make constant progress and would like to upgrade himself on a regular basis. He would be highly inquisitive and would be eager to learn. As an employer, it is very important for you to recognize this particular trait and channelize it to proper direction.
6. Responsible:
Unlike your average employees, who need to be poked constantly in order to get things done, a qualified individual would take the responsibility to execute a task once it is assigned to him. As already mentioned, he would operate within a “no-excuse” zone. He might get in touch with you seeking for your advice and assistance, but under no circumstances he would let things go beyond his control. He would take the full ownership and ensure that the task he was assigned is being executed successfully.
7. Knowledge:
Right at the beginning, it was mentioned that a qualified employee doesn’t necessarily mean a knowledgeable individual. However, knowledge and technical know-how certainly have some very important roles to play. These are the two aspects which makes him productive. Knowledge along with other features together makes an individual qualified.
8. Good Communicators:
In every profession, a successful and qualified individual happens to be an excellent communicator. He can express his feelings; thoughts and ideas in clear terms and candidly. He would be 100% focused on the topic of discussion and would not hesitate to question you whenever he feels it is required. He is the one you can count on as your representative.
9. Positive Attitude:
He would be the one who would always speak and act in positive terms. When the chips are down and you are struggling to get your acts together, these are people whom you can count on. They would go beyond their domain and help you fight against a situation. If you are looking for some words of encouragement, these are the people you can count on.
These are some of the traits you need to look out for in order to recognize qualified employees. It is very important to remember that as an employer, you too have certain roles to play. Quite often it is found that talented and qualified individuals are not given the exposure they deserve. This can be quite disheartening and disappointing. Therefore, it is very important for you to make sure that you reward them for their efforts. This is very important to ensure that they continue with the good work they have been doing all these while.
What makes them indispensable?
At the end of the day when you are making an analysis of individual performances, you will find that these handful employees are the ones who had made the difference. It doesn’t mean that the efforts put in by the other employees are of very little or no value; however, an in-depth scrutiny would let you know, that these employees, whom we are referring to as “qualified” are the ones who have been instrumental towards delivering and executing a given project.
How to Find and Select Qualified Employees:
This is the all important question. It not only sufficient to know what qualified employees are all about and how they can prove to valuable assets for your company. Unless you hire some of them, it is of no use. So, the question is how to get hold of them? Well, there is no lack of qualified and competent individuals. What you need to know is how to track them. The following section will offer an insight to the process of finding qualified employees for your business.
1. Internal Source:
This is very old and a reliable way to find the best person for a given position. Internal source refers to the recommendations made by the existing employees. They are the ones who know how the company operates what is the skill sets required of an individual. It has been proven, that the internal source has been the most reliable and authentic means of recruiting employees.
2. Job Advertisements:
This is one of the oldest ways to attract new employees. There is a catch to it. If you are looking for someone with specific skill sets in terms of technical knowledge and other personality traits, you must mention them clearly in the advertisement. This needs to be done in order to make sure that only the ones you are looking for applies. It would help you to separate the ordinary ones from the group of special individuals.
3. Open Market:
It has become very common these days to seek qualified employees in the open market. When I say, open market, I refer to external sources which unconventional in nature. A career fair for an example. Companies these days participate in these fairs to get hold of fresh candidates. These are very authentic and reliable sources as you can directly communicate with the candidates.
4. Job applications:
You must be receiving job applications from time to time. Instead rejecting them, it is recommended that you store them separately for future reference. These will be your readily available sources when you are looking to hire on an urgent basis. External sources take a considerable amount of time; besides, there are other complications which can delay proceedings. When you have a credible source readily available to you, better make use of it.
5. Job Agencies:
Given the fact that demands for jobs are increasing day by day, recruitment agencies have made life easier for both the employers and job seekers. If you are looking for individuals with specific skills, then all you need to do is to get in touch with one good agency and let them know about your requirements. They would help you find a candidate. Most of the MNCs and big concerns, these days use recruitment agencies when they are looking to hire in bulk. In most of the cases, they would carry out the initial screening process and would shortlist the candidates for you.
6. Universities, Colleges and Institutions:
This is what is known as campus recruitment. This is one of the most convenient ways to get hold of the kind of people you are looking for. It gives you ample of options to choose from. If you are looking for someone with an excellent educational background, then this is how you can track someone. On the other hand, if average candidates are what you are looking for, you can plenty of them from this source.
It is not an easy task to find qualified employees. However, with the help of so many options available these days, you can certainly expect to get hold of some. Qualified employees are the ones who would eventually turn things around for you.
