Hiring for Success: Key Qualities to Look for in New Team Members

A business mentor and transformational coach lists five non-negotiable qualities companies should look for in new hires.

Applicants often bring their best foot forward. From their resumes down to their interviews, they make it a point to highlight relevant experience, showcase key skills, and enumerate their strongest qualities.

With candidates flexing their skills and qualifications, choosing the best candidates can be tricky for hiring managers. Having a cheat sheet containing must-haves of an ideal candidate would come in handy.

To help guide HR professionals, recruiters, and team leaders, The Business Manual spoke to Business Mentor, Transformational Coach, and the CEO and Founder of Grow Your Business Pinoy Inc., Myrna “Mommy N” Tam-Natividad, to ask for insights on what qualities they should be on the lookout for. 

Strong Communication Skills 

For Tam-Natividad, communication skills “are not just about the use of words and language.”

“It is also about being able to organize one’s thoughts and express them well in the dialect that the recipient of the message is comfortable with,” she explains.

This highlights how crucial it is to select a team member with strong communication skills as doing so can help achieve the following:

• Enhance teamwork and collaboration
• Increase efficiency and productivity 
• Build stronger relationships and morale
• Facilitate problem-solving and innovation
• Prevent conflict and dispute

“Building a cohesive team not only lowers our expenses but also increases sales, thus having a positive impact on our bottom line, which is, after all, the primary consideration for all business owners,” Tam-Natividad points out. 

How, then, can strong communication skills be gauged? According to Tam-Natividad, the process is two-fold. 

“We give written instructions about our requirements, and we evaluate how well an applicant follows instructions to the letter,” she explains. “Not being able to do so tells us that the applicant does not ‘listen’ well, and therefore, will be problematic hires later.”

“From those who qualified in the first step, we ask them to come to an interview over Zoom and ask them prepared questions to gauge how they communicate,” the business mentor and transformational coach adds. “The person who can communicate clearly and is able to present their thoughts in a cohesive manner is someone who has good communication skills.”

Strong Work Ethic 

In addition to strong communication skills, ideal members should also have a strong work ethic. For Tam-Natividad, a strong work ethic impacts not only the quality of work, but also the quality of communication in the first place.

Tam-Natividad says that an applicant’s values must align with the company’s, because values cannot be easily taught.

“Even if the applicant is highly intelligent, if she does not align with our values, like frugality, integrity, teamwork, etc.,  it would be difficult for us to work together,” she explains. 

Humility

Spotting red flags is normal when selecting the right members to add to a team. For Tam-Natividad, it’s a red flag when an applicant appears to be arrogant.

“Arrogance here means that he is not open to learn and grow,” the Grow Your Business Pinoy Inc. Founder says. “We are about developing our people. Once in a while, we get people whose attitude is ‘I know that’ and can therefore not absorb any new learning.”

Arrogance in this sense may hinder applicants from learning how to do things the company’s way and many end up insisting on doing things that go against the company’s values and practices. 

“This will cause needless friction and waste lots of time,” Tam-Natividad notes.

Integrity

For Tam-Natividad, integrity is another non-negotiable in a new team member. She, however, points out that integrity “goes above and beyond just mere honesty.”

“It is defined as ‘saying what you will do and doing what you say,’” she explains. “Your word is important, and we should be able to trust you fully when you commit.” 

According to Tam-Natividad, this can be gauged during the hiring process by asking interview questions revolving around the applicant’s past experiences. Companies may likewise opt to perform background checks and even outsource background investigation from a trusted agency. 

Commitment 

With the countless positive qualities and traits that applicants may possess, Tam-Natividad acknowledges that it may be easy to overlook commitment. This, however, should still be included in the list of non-negotiables. 

“How long will they stay with us is the question we will have to figure out [the answer to],” she explains. “This is because it is expensive and time-consuming to train someone who will just be with us for a few months just to gain experience.

“Careful probing will have to be done to check if the person and our organization are a fit because if not, they will not stay long with us, and we will be left holding an empty bag after we have shared so much with them,” the business mentor adds. 

Key Takeaways 

Every company has its own requirements and needs that should be filled during the search for new team members. Many of these requirements involve hard and soft skills applicants should possess to succeed in their positions, should they be hired. 

However, it is also crucial to focus on an applicant’s distinct qualities as doing so gives insight into how the applicant will function as a team member. Having a set of non-negotiable qualities not only helps in selecting the right people, but also reflects the values of the company. 

As Tam-Natividad thoroughly explained, selecting team members who possess non-negotiable qualities ensure a long-lasting relationship that is mutually beneficial to the growth and success of both parties.