How to spot an Extraordinary Employee

Recruitment is a costly investment and today’s Business Managers simply can’t afford to lose time and money training a fruitless employee. It’s important to know which employees are worth investing in, and those who aren’t.

In order to do this effectively, employees can be split into three categories: those who fail, those who excel, and the ‘inbetweeners’. Distinguishing between the second and latter is what makes all the difference. Performing well and ticking the boxes on the appraisal sheet is all well and good, but the very best employees possess characteristics that don’t necessarily appear on paper.

Here are the characteristics to look out for.

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They like a challenge

Extraordinary employees want to take on projects that challenge them in order to get the most out of their position and build on their skills. They thrive when they are outside their comfort zone and have an innate ability to continuously push themselves to achieve. They are always keen to step up to a challenge – even if it’s not ‘their job’.

They’re a perfectionist

Some people are never satisfied – and that’s a good thing. Extraordinary employees will continuously re-do and refine their work and work processes. They are not happy unless they give 110% to every project. You can be sure that they’ll continually improve and introduce new practices to enhance the business.

They’re unique

‘Normal’ is nice, but it’s not extraordinary. An employee that is a little off centre makes for a more dynamic team that challenges the ordinary and pushes the boundaries. With their unique way of thinking, an extraordinary employee often comes up with the best ideas or ideas that would not have been mentioned otherwise.

They are proud to be different and not scared to challenge company norms

But they know when to rein it in.

Although it’s positive that your employee embraces their uniqueness, they know that their extrovert personality isn’t always appropriate in a professional setting. They are able to strike the perfect balance between fun and professionalism and instinctively know which is appropriate at a given time. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but an extraordinary employee will do it with ease.

They recognise the efforts of others

Extraordinary employees know how important it is to applaud the work of others. They know that other members of staff will appreciate recognition for a job done well and actively want to encourage their peers.

They also know how to be open to other peoples’ ideas. Whilst they are strong-minded and opinionated, they’re not stubborn and don’t always think their way is the right way. This leads us to our next point.

They speak out for others

Extraordinary employees will stand up for the little guy. They care about the well-being of the whole team and know that it’s important to raise necessary issues that affect the company as a whole. Being compassionate and putting the team first is healthy for the business’s culture and can help to reduce turnover.

They complain in private

As a manager, it’s impossible to be aware of every employee’s issues, so an employee that speaks out is more desirable than one who suffers in silence. We’re not talking about a serial complainer – those could be detrimental to the health of your work culture. A good employee will highlight their issues in a group setting where their opinion can be backed up or further discussed by their peers, however, an exceptional employee will discuss an issue with you in private to avoid causing a lengthy debate with other members of staff.

They aim high and take initiative

Not only are extraordinary employees talented in their position, but they are constantly striving for more. They are able to prioritise important tasks, think on their feet and chip in wherever they are needed in order to complete a project. An extraordinary employee will know where they are needed without being told and will always seek ways to solve problems themselves before reaching out.

A founder may know their company inside out, but they cannot grow it alone. Those who can find truly exceptional employees are most likely to succeed.

Fuse Recruitment pride ourselves on our ability to find these extraordinary candidates. In combination with our industry knowledge, we’ve developed techniques to identify candidates with the above qualities. Historically, we’ve found these employees achieve great things.

It’s our job as a specialist recruitment agency to connect our clients with extraordinary employees. If you’re looking for great people to join your team fill out the form on this page and one of our experts will be in contact.