Summary. A qualified employee is someone who has all the hard skills needed for the job in question. Depending on how specialized the job is or how competitive the market is, it may be difficult to find someone with that set of skills.
If that’s the case, or even if it isn’t, the definition of a qualified employee can be expanded. Someone with excellent soft skills is usually easy to train and can be given the tools to acquire the necessary hard skills. While they may not be able to step into the role right away, you’ll also have earned their appreciation and loyalty.
Key Takeaways:
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A qualified employee is usually seen as someone who has all the necessary hard skills for a position. However, being able to fit into the culture is also extremely important.
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In the case where you can’t find the perfect candidate, which is often difficult, you can potentially train an employee you already have to fill the role. So long as they’re willing to learn and realize they’ll make some mistakes, they’ll likely end up being a smart investment.
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You can look for people with the necessary soft skills to excel in the role in-house, at job fairs, or at universities. It’s even possible to hire someone that you think will take to the training and the job, therefore boosting their skill set.
What Constitutes a Qualified Employee?
Finding qualified employees can be a challenging endeavor. But the main question is: what makes a qualified employee in the first place? Many employers have a specific set of hard skills that they look for when searching for a candidate to fill an open position. In most cases, it’s possible to find someone with the right skill set, but what do you do when the well runs dry?
A qualified candidate doesn’t just have to have the right set of hard skills. It’s easy to overlook other valuable traits – particularly soft skills – and instead be focused on easy-to-define qualifiers. A qualified employee can just as easily be someone who’s a quick learner, unafraid to ask questions and own their mistakes, as well as someone other employees go to for help.
How Can You Recognize Qualified Employees?
While recognizing a qualified employee seems like it would be easy, it’s not always as straightforward as it sounds. There are several different aspects that make up an excellent employee, and many of those exceptional employees can be made into qualified employees with a bit of training.
An obviously qualified employee will:
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Have the desired hard skills. This will vary greatly depending on the job in question. The more in demand or specialized the skills required, the more competitive filling the position will be.
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Be a good cultural fit. Finding someone who fits into the office culture is a mixture of interpersonal skills, adaptability, and being willing to ask questions, all of which are soft skills.
It’s not easy to find someone who’s the perfect fit for a role. Part of this will depend on what you emphasize. If they’re not quite the right cultural fit, but their hard skills are top-tier, you may be able to make it work. However, if they’re totally wrong for the culture of your business and cause disruptions and upset your other employees, they likely aren’t worth the trouble.
If you can’t find the right candidate, it may be time to broaden your qualifications. Remember that hard skills can be taught. Soft skills, on the other hand, are much more difficult to impart. Not only that, but despite the fact that they’re hard to define, soft skills are just as valuable – if not more so.
A qualified employee will have these traits:
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Adaptability. Even if the person in question doesn’t know everything needed for the position, being able to adapt and try new things makes it easier for them to learn. It’s also possible that they may end up shifting to a new department or working with a new team – in that case, adaptation is necessary.
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Trainability. Being easy to train is a mixture of traits. One is being able to listen, and another is being unafraid to try new things. Some people like to learn and are good at it, making them more receptive to training. Having a good memory or knowing mnemonic tricks can also be a major plus.
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Be willing to listen. In almost every job, there will be experts in different fields. Being an expert in theirs doesn’t make them the authority on everything. If they’re able to listen, take constructive criticism, and turn around to do better, then that’s an extremely valuable skill.
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Take responsibility. While this is especially important in management, it matters at all levels. When in a new job, mistakes will be made. If they’re willing to own their mistakes, apologize (if needed), and make efforts not to mess up again, then they’re well on the track to being an asset to the company.
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Be a good cultural fit. This can be difficult to determine quickly. However, having someone who fits in the culture is a huge boon in terms of them being able to get along with others and work towards the company mission.
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Helpfulness. Of course, nobody should spend all their time helping other employees, but being willing to lend a hand is important. It’s especially an asset if other employees consider them the go-to person. This will partly be a matter of expertise, of course, but it’s also approachableness and competence.
If someone is always grudging in answering questions and assisting, then other employees won’t go to them. The same is true if they’re willing to help, but their help isn’t very helpful. If they’re a go-to person, it means that they’re not only happy to oblige, but they actually fix whatever the problem is.
Where to Look for Qualified Employees
As with all recruitment, there are several different ways to go about looking for qualified employees. That being said, if it’s a matter of struggling to find someone who’s the right fit for the position, then it might require approaching the problem from a different angle. Here are some places to look for qualified candidates.
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Internally. There are huge benefits to promoting someone to a position rather than hiring from the outside. These include knowing that the person in question is a good cultural fit, being able to see their soft skills in action, and building loyalty. If others see that your organization prefers to promote, they’re less likely to jump ship as well.
Loyalty has several benefits. One is that the employee will work harder, knowing that their employer sees potential in them and values them. The other is that they’re less likely to leave to pursue other opportunities, meaning that you won’t have to replace them and lose that training and investment.
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Job fairs. While job fairs may seem old-fashioned, there are still benefits to going to them. If you’re looking for a particular skill set, you can try one aimed at your field. Another is that you get a chance to actually speak to the person before looking at their application.
And as with most things, it’s also possible to build contacts at job fairs. If your organization goes regularly – particularly if it’s someone’s job to do it – they’ll get to know the other people at the job fair. That will give them contacts, and they may get candidates sent their way from other booths.
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Want ads. This is the most obvious of all of them. Putting out a job description and request for applicants allows for a number of people to apply. It’s worth remembering that setting your qualifications below your dream candidate will yield more results – several of whom may not have applied if you set the bar too high.
That’s especially important if you’re looking for diverse candidates. Women, in particular, are much less likely to apply for a job where they don’t meet all the listed qualifications.
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Universities. Hiring someone who’s just starting out their career can be a bit of a gamble. However, if you’re able to get someone smart and talented early, you can end up with an extremely valuable employee with just a bit of extra investment.
Someone just starting out will likely be open to all sorts of opportunities. That means that you can offer them training for a position that you need to fill and end up with someone without any bad habits that they’ll have to unlearn.
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Recommendations. All of your employees have social networks. If you’re having trouble finding a good candidate, it’s not a bad idea to open it up to suggestions. They’ll have a good idea of who’ll be a good fit for the culture, as well as what personality traits the person in question possesses.
Making use of recommendations can lead you to candidates that you wouldn’t find otherwise. Either because they wouldn’t look for that particular job, or because they may not have all the skills you want, but will be able to learn them quickly.
How to Find Qualified Employees FAQ
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How do you find qualified employees for a small business?
Finding qualified employees for a small business requires seeking out employees that are interested in working for a smaller company. It’s usually best to start by imagining your ideal employee and then scaling back from there to what you’d accept. Then you put the requirements in your job description and keep an open mind.
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How do you attract qualified employees?
If you’re looking for highly skilled candidates, then the best ways to draw their attention are by a salary that’s competitive – or higher. If you can’t afford to pay them that much, you can offer other benefits, such as working from home, a flexible schedule, or unlimited vacation.
If there’s a candidate you’re particularly interested in hiring, you can even offer them a tailored package – so long as it won’t cause resentment among your other employees.
References
Author
Di Doherty
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
