This article is entirely written according to the mission and values of ”Generation Success” Foundation to inspire more people from the current and future generations of professionals to be the best they can be. Our goal is to advance social mobility by empowering young people of diversity to reach their career aspirations.
As we know, our foundation’s ultimate goal is to help as many as possible young persons of diversity kick-start their careers. We have seen many times that if they are having their careers develop smoothly in their early phases, those individuals have their mindsets cleared of their limiting beliefs. Consequently, they can become motivators for the next generation, resulting in an uplifting spiral. This scenario motivates us to do everything in our power to prepare the soil for those young seeds to blossom into seasoned professionals. Unfortunately, we still have to invest significant efforts to change the work landscape and educate HR practitioners on how to attract and nurture a diverse workforce and why should they. As our founder James Adeleke said in an interview:
“Your background, your access to education, and where you happened to be born still play a depressingly significant role in your chance of getting those jobs.”
To change that is our battle, but we have a lot of supporters on our side, so we have peace of mind in that regard. On the other side of the equation are the young individuals, ready to start their journey and find their first high-quality job. To allow them to have even the slightest chance in this oversaturated and unfair market, we have to prepare them for a turbulent environment in which only the best get to continue in the direction of their aspirations for success. And we do. We educate them and associate them with the finest mentors we can provide. This phase of creating successful candidates has a fundamental importance in our process and has educated us about some key features required for success.
Until the end of the article, we will provide a list of a few traits that are a must at the beginning of a person’s career and further. Also, in the end, we will reveal how the biggest fear of the upcoming professionals, the boogeyman of career development – the lack of experience, can be transformed into a decisive advantage.
A list of characteristics that are mandatory for every successful employee
- Integrity
In our books, that is a must trait for every employee that desires to build a worthy career. If you lack integrity, then it is quite possible also to lack realistic self-assessment capability. People lacking integrity often have no humility to admit and learn their mistakes and miss on the biggest resource for growth. If you can’t learn from your mistakes, your career will face a wall in record time. Another distinguishing trait of high-integrity individuals is that they are ethical in their business and personal affairs. That makes them easy to work with and positions them as pleasant colleagues.
- Motivation
It аis a dream to work with motivated individuals. One of the best indicators of success is the capability to start with a high amount of passion and maintain this drive for years ahead of your career path. If you choose a career close to your heart and make conscious efforts to keep your motivation, it is a guaranteed win. Those motivated employees are also valuable to every company because they never stop improving themselves and uplifting those around them.
- Honesty
If there is a characteristic mandatory for successful relationships of any kind, job employment falls in this category, too. This trait will be honesty. Until this point, we never have seen an employer that accepts to be lied to by his employees. And we are sure that this won’t ever happen. We mention this trait because it is also a fantastic idea to emphasise it as your vital characteristic during the selection process.
- Dedication
Every organisation values the individuals ready to stay with them long enough and grow together. The ones that seek the opportunities to rise above and beyond, and those who care for more than just their simple daily tasks, are the ones that will be valued above anything else. In order to stay dedicated, it is essential to have access to a welcoming environment and feel your company as a community, not just a work site.
- Adaptability
It is a fact that everything is in constant motion. That’s why companies have to respond to the market’s dynamic state. They also have to be on par with the rising standards of the clients. An employee is a crucial part of this process, a smaller but important part of the corporate machine. If they don’t have an adequate level of adaptability, it is quite possible to fall behind. The individuals can’t allow stagnating in their workplace because they will lose their flow and won’t be able to be the problem-solvers they once were.
- Responsibility
Each organisation has to monitor its most valuable asset – time. In this regard, those needing someone to hold their hand on each step quickly become a burden to the rest of the team. Don’t get this wrong – having the needed level of support is critical. It is just that if the management has to waste time daily checking if the goals are being met, they won’t be happy. The most valuable employees are responsible. They are always doing what it takes to get the job done, to meet the set KPIs, and on top of that, they don’t want or need to be constantly micromanaged.
- Pragmatism
In modern careers, a new challenge has emerged – the gigantic volumes of information and theory we have access to. Thus a healthy dose of practical thinking is precious. It takes a lot of effort, but those rare individuals capable of finding the leanest and most practical solutions are really appreciated.
- Resourcefulness
One of the best employees are those who have the ability to find creative solutions to problems. Having developed problem-solving skills is truly a valuable trait. That, coupled with a proactive mindset, are the fundamental characteristics of an expert who is constantly finding ways to improve things. Knowing from experience, those peoples are very valued and welcomed by every organisation.
- Self-Sufficiency
We mentioned that a team’s time is precious. Wasted time equals great opportunity costs. Individuals needing excessive management to move forward with their tasks quickly become a vortex for the team’s energy. That is something that every team wants to avoid for sure. The efficient team members are constantly researching, thinking from various angles, investigating, and in the end – coming up with the correct answers to overcome even the most challenging issues. Without another team member providing them at the cost of his productive time. We think that you can easily comprehend how important this quality is.
Even if you had all of those traits, what about the lack of experience? We got you covered!
Every person making a move in the direction of a new career always has one dreadful thought – what about my lack of experience. This exact limiting belief has proven to be the number one career advance obstacle in too many cases. But there are a few different points of view that can change your self-awareness and give you the confidence to make bold moves. First, let’s not forget that everyone is a beginner at some stage. You have to embrace it; there is no way around it, and trying to fake it is a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, you can raise your confidence even further by realising that you can actually use your lack of experience to your advantage! How? Let’s take a look at some key strategies.
You are hungry – believe us, all experts with many years of expertise secretly yearn about their experiences during their career’s early phase. Those fascinating early days when you have to soak up every bit of new experience and leverage in real-time your limited knowledge. Especially in highly dynamic roles, for example, sales, where your performance is directly tied to your efforts. Those are the moments that make you feel alive and kicking. Hunger can be one of the best motivators. Take our words to heart and leverage it, also, if you are truly dedicated to your growth – make anything possible to keep the fire burning. You won’t regret it.
You are a blank slate – it is not a secret that every organisation has its own dynamics. In that regard, a lot of managers prefer to have fresh talent ready to be educated and shaped to fit perfectly the needs of the business. Also, employees with multiple years of experience often bring bad habits from their old jobs, something that no new employer would enjoy. Keep that in mind and use it as an advantage in your interviews.
Fresh eyes for old problems – this is also a crucial advantage. Some businesses are even going to the length of hiring young professionals so that they can bring in their fresh perspectives. That is one of the efficient ways to solve already calcified internal problems. Often the issues stem from the many years of experience of the veterans in the team. Unfortunately, they often unconsciously pick up bad habits or narrower views from their years of experience or teammates. If you are just starting your career you don’t have this problem yet, don’t forget to emphasise it in your interview!
You have the privilege NOT to know – in the most adequate organisations, everyone expects the new additions to the team to go through some learning curve. It is logical and normal. At this stage, you are allowed to ask questions and expect some degree of assistance. But here is the biggest opportunity – if you don’t cut corners and give your best while working to achieve the maximum level of self-sufficiency, you are set to become the star new recruit. We mention that because we feel that most young professionals have their mindset wrong, they expect themselves to be fully-developed experts from day one. There are levels to this game, don’t forget. Show some motivation garnished with patience, and you will thrive in your new job.
You are ready to tackle your career path head-on.
With this “frame” of characteristics that we discussed until now, in combination with the insights on how to turn your lack of experience to your advantage, we believe that you are ready to start conquering your new career immediately. Just go through an honest self-assessment and find which areas you must work on a bit more. Then courageously take action, and in no time, you will be at the place you deserve to be. And if you need an extra push in the right direction – don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can connect you with the best mentors, who also have experience working with people of diversity and connections with organisations making a conscious effort to expand their hiring diversity.
Sources:
1) au.indeed.com – 9 Character Traits That Attract Employers.
2) businesstraverse.com – Nine Traits of an Ideal Employee.
3) indeed.com – 14 Top Qualities Employers Look For in Job Candidates.