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How Do You Immediately Know You Hired A Top Performer?

No matter how much time and effort you put into assessing and vetting a new hire, it’s not exactly possible to determine how they’ll work out for your company until you’ve actually seen them in action.

But, once you’ve officially brought them on board, it shouldn’t take all that long for you to know whether or not doing so was the right call.

In this article, we’ll discuss the main things to look for in a new hire that will tell you right away whether they’ll end up working out for your organization in the long run.

4 Characteristics of Top-Performing Employees


 

1) They Hit the Ground Running

While it will typically take a short period of time for a new hire to get acclimated with certain processes within your organization, how they act during this period – and thereafter – can be immediately telling of the type of employee they are.

At this stage of the process, you want to assess your new hire’s level of engagement as you bring them on board. If the process involves hands-on training, look for top-performing employees to continually ask questions, seek clarification, and otherwise ensure they’re 100% prepared to work independently. If the process is more individual (e.g., on-demand training), observe how quickly they’re able to get through the sessions.

Essentially, you want to know that your new employee is ready to get moving and begin providing value to your company from Day One.

2) They Lend a Helping Hand

Top performers will never be heard uttering the phrase “That’s not my job.” Tweet This! 

On the contrary, they’ll almost always be willing to help others achieve their goals – knowing that their efforts will ultimately further the organization as a whole.

And it’s not even that they’ll be willing to help out if they’re asked to do so; rather, they’ll continuously be looking for ways in which they can make everyone else’s job easier.

Now, this isn’t to say that they’ll do so while at the same time neglecting their own duties. With top-performing employees, it’s usually the case that they’ve already done what was expected of them in the first place.

3) They’re Dedicated to the Task at Hand

As just mentioned, tasks assigned to top-performing employees are as good as done the moment you assign them.

Now, as an employer or manager, this is something you need to watch out for. While you certainly want your employees to dedicate themselves to their assigned position, you don’t want them to burn themselves out, either. If you find a new employee has been staying way too late or skipping out on lunch, you want to intervene as soon as possible (as, if they end up getting quickly burnt out, they may leave the job before they even get comfortable).

That said, if the extra effort your new employee puts into the job doesn’t seem to bother them, you certainly want to let them “do their thing.”

4) They Wear Various Hats

Going along with what we said about lending a helping hand, top-performing employees are able to assume a variety of roles depending on what’s needed of them.

For example, before they’re truly acclimated to the many processes within your organization, they’ll likely follow the lead of other, more season employees. Typically, they’ll defer to others within the organization, for the time being, trying to learn as much as possible before becoming autonomous in their position.

When the time comes for them to step up, however, they’ll do so without hesitation. Whether this means assuming a supporting role or taking on the role of team leader, top-performing employees are able to do exactly what’s needed to enable everyone to perform to their highest capacity.

Are you looking for top performers?

Again, it all comes down to the fact that top-performing employees know that the overall mission of the company is what’s truly important – and they’ll do whatever they can to ensure success not just for them, but for their entire team. If you are looking to add to your team, why not hire the best?  Contact us today to learn how we can help you find top employees.

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