Attributes of a desired employee

Every employer looks for certain attributes when hiring staff. People may have these attributes naturally or others may have to work at them. These attributes are as follows: 

·         Reliable- You have to be honest and trustworthy. You need to be able to be trusted to run a store. Your employer needs to be sure that you are capable of doing the job.

·         Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity- You need to be able to identify different cultures of customers and recommend products accordingly. (Important in clothing retail and food!)

·          Sound work ethic- having a sound work ethic will ensure that you get the job done to the highest standard.

·         Respectful-Respect for other members of staff and customers is important as being disrespectful can upset people easily and cause problems for the store. When asked if being respectful is valued in the work place, the general reply was that it is important to treat everyone as an individual.

·         Passionate- Being passionate about your job also ensures that you get the job done to the best of your capability. Passion also comes with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is contagious, so the levels of enthusiasm will have an effect on the store and other staff members. “Need to be able to bring the best out of there staff”.

·         Eye for detail- Every minor detail is important in running a store; from floor design to making sure the stock numbers add up, so having an eye for that detail is desirable in retail management. Having an eye for detail can also come into admin work; making sure that all your documents look similar, designed to a professional standard and are clear to read.

·         Numerical and Verbal skills- Verbal skills are essential as the need to be able to communicate with the customers and other members of staff is important. Numerical skills are needed for working out prices, hours worked, wages or more technical mathematics when needed.

·         Team work-You have to be able to work as a team in order for the business to run smoothly and be successful. An example of team work would be when the company receives a stock order. The staff have to be able to work as a team in order to get it all priced up and out on the shop floor as soon as possible.

·         Organisational skills- Organisational skills include time keeping. You need to be able to manage your time to fill in all the tasks you need to do during your shift.  You need to be punctual and tidy in appearance and also in your work space. All documents should be stored clearly and have a certain level of organisation to it.

·         Flexible with hours- Managers may have to work unsociable hours, or they may be asked to cover shifts for other people, so they need to be flexible with their hours in order to accommodate for this.

·         Be able to solve problems that may arise-Customers may not be happy with the service, or staff may not be happy with hours so you need to be able to solve these problems efficiently and quickly if it is a part of your job criteria.

·         Leadership qualities- You need to be able to take charge and make important decisions when needed. You should also be able to lead staff members to ensure the business runs smoothly. When asked why leadership is important on my questionnaire, the response I received was that being a leader is important as it allows you to set an example to other staff within the work place.

·         Independent working- You need to be able to work independently and use your own initiative. People have their own jobs to do so they cannot tell you everything that you need to do. You need to know what needs to be done and take it upon yourself to do it. All the job descriptions received on my questionnaires made the point that you have to be able to work independently as people will begin to rely on you to do just that and to a high standard.

·         Self-motivation- It is very important to keep yourself motivated and keep the job interesting. This will promote a positive attitude towards working and will make the job more enjoyable.

Examples of PPE

You also need to be aware of any Health and Safety procedures or legislations in your work place. General health and safety guidelines are provided in all businesses but others may be in place with specialist jobs. If working on a building site, PPE may be required at all times to ensure the health of staff members. If working in I.T. or on computers for the majority of your work tasks, the Data Protection Act 1998 has to be followed (being sensitive to personal data), to stop misusing personal data, the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (hacking) and also the specialised health and safety regulations; frequent break, correct posture on computers chairs etc. If you are working in the beauty industry, you need to be aware of the procedures taken to ensure the client is comfortable with; temperatures of water/wax/flat irons/curling irons, the colour of a dye, making sure that the client is not allergic to the product beforehand. Some beauty salons may also require the clientele to sign a waiver to document that they are aware of what is intended to happen during the appointment, to state that they have tested the products and are not allergic or are comfortable with the temperatures and also as a way to ensure that the salon has documented proof that the customer agreed completely so as to avoid unnecessary lawsuits.