All of us business owners are wondering how to find qualified employees. Qualified employees, especially for those higher-skilled positions, could be right under your nose. In our business coaching experience, we’ve seen business owners overlook employees who weren’t technically qualified but who could be good candidates for jobs.
When you’re looking for those higher skilled jobs, business owners often hire externally. Maybe you think you need a degreed person, but do you really? Maybe you’re requiring 5 years experience, but is that really necessary? Maybe you’re requiring a specific kind of expertise but is it possible to train the right person who has no experience at that specific task?
How to find qualified employees requires a different kind of thinking, a different kind of searching, and some out-of-the-box thinking.
How to find qualified employees
How do you know when a current employee who is not technically qualified COULD be right for that promotion?
1. They own their mistakes. They readily admit when they’ve made an error instead of trying to cover it up. And their focus is on learning from their mistakes. Part of learning a new job, is making mistakes. How do they handle their missteps? As soon as they realize they have done something incorrectly, they should be coming to you to understand where they went wrong.
2. They have a willingness to listen. Listening is the key to understanding. Knowing they don’t have all the answers but learning from you or their colleagues around them shows they have the potential for long term success. If your sense of them is that they’re “coach-able,” you could have a diamond in the rough.
3. They understand your company’s mission. A person who has genuine affection for your company’s “why” is an employee you want to keep. If they demonstrate an understanding of your company’s mission while in their role, they have great respect for not only you, but their role as your employee.
4. They are a good cultural fit. Take into consideration how they fit into your company. An employee who has the same values as you, is a great asset to have. A cultural fit is inherent to the person and is hard to find.
5. They tend to be the go-to person. If others are openly comfortable approaching their coworker for help, that employee is an incredibly valuable to your company.
A lot of employers set out technical requirements, but often fail to value these other qualities. You can train for the technical skills you need but the above 5 qualities are nearly impossible to train. Your employee either has them or they don’t. If they have them, that could be the answer to how to find qualified employees.
There are many benefits to looking inside your own organization for the right employee for the job. You’ll retain employees you would otherwise lose by just giving them the chance to succeed. And let’s not ignore the most important part of taking a chance on an employee–loyalty. The more you invest in your employees, the more they will invest in your business. When they know they are valued and have a chance to prove themselves, that’s when you’ll get the best from them.
There’s not an employer in the marketplace right now who’s not wondering how to find qualified employees. Maybe you could benefit by taking a deeper look at existing employees.
