The Top Five Qualities That Produce The Best Job Performance
What do those office managers and upper-level executives – and senior law partners – want in an employee – and associate? Of course, this may differ by industry and job, yet many desirable qualities are universal in any type of worker for any type of job. It is important to note that these qualities are not necessarily the same qualities that provide success in an academic setting. Many academics and scholars believe that a person’s grade point average (GPA) is not a strong predictor of job performance because it is not a true indicator of intelligence.
Business organizations, including law firms, want graduates who are not only smart but possess the soft skills, those interpersonal, analytical, problem-solving skills crucial for the completion of work and achievement of goals. The following are five qualities that lead to high job performance:
1) Ability to Learn
Every business is unique in that it requires employees to use specific “hard” or technical knowledge to complete the tasks at hand. This further requires the employee to use his or her “soft” skills to navigate within and through a distinct work environment. Some jobs require a great degree of technical skill and knowledge, which may only be acquired through graduate studies.
It is one thing to possess knowledge it is another to know how to use it. The ability to acquire the specific knowledge necessary to “get up to speed” quickly is a very desirable employee trait. After an initial orientation period where there is an acknowledged initial learning curve, an organization wants to start seeing results and continuous increases in productivity. The shorter it takes for an individual to learn and adapt is typically a correlate of high success in a new job.
3) Interpersonal Skills
An employee’s interpersonal skills are based on his or her attitudes, career attributes, and character, or personality traits. These skills include communication skills, people skills, and social skills. Hard skills are those technical skills directly relevant to a job, field, or profession, and may even be more quantifiable and easier to learn than soft skills.
There are situations in any place of employment where inevitably conflict arises and coworkers disagree. How coworkers react to these instances of discord will directly affect solving any problems and moving forward with the task at hand, ultimately making a substantial difference in job performance and success. Good employees are typically perceptive, cooperative, judicious, and tactful.
3) Adaptability
One thing never changes. And that is – change always occurs. Everything changes whether it a job, procedure, process, or practice. Things progress and should, theoretically, improve over time. Change effectuates progress. Employees must have the ability to adapt to the requirements of their jobs to maintain productivity even as change itself occurs. Any business wants an employee who can keep up with the job’s demands. The alternative is that a business enterprise must continually retrain employees. However, this rarely happens since it wastes valuable time and other resources. The preferred course of action is to hire a worker who can adapt.
4) Integrity
Honesty is the best policy. Any business must be able to trust their employees. When the job needs to get done, an employee may find himself or herself alone working late. A business assumes that any of its employees may be trusted in this situation.
Business enterprises also desire employees who do not lie. Employees do not care for individuals who constantly make excuses instead of facing up to the fact that they may have inadequately completed work tasks.
Employees with integrity are also those who always make the right decisions on behalf of the company, thus exclusively acting in its best interests at all times.
5) Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is a personality trait that means an employee is dependable and reliable. The key is for an employee to prove that such trust is appropriate at any time for any job. Few business organizations do not prefer employees who work hard, show up on time, and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
The California Desert Trial Academy utilizes an extensive distance learning platform for students studying online. The CDTA focuses on providing a cutting-edge academic experience that takes advantage of many effective, easy-to-use online tools. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.