Most people think that hiring excellent employees is a difficult, time-consuming process. It can be, but I’d like to suggest a new way of looking at hiring.

No matter what kind of business you operate, you will need to hire help at some point or another. Luckily for you, people are always looking for jobs, so it doesn’t have to take months to find an excellent team member. Rather, consider the following principles and hire without second-guessing yourself along the way!

Before I let you know how to spot excellent employees, consider this: you’re not looking for the perfect employee; you’re looking for an ordered employee. You’re never going to meet someone who is perfect. Therefore, look for someone with many of the following characteristics.

3 Characteristics of Excellent Employees

They are faithful.

What does it look like to hire a faithful employee?

They show up on time. You can count on them to do tasks with excellence. They’re dependable. They take initiative to get projects done. They keep their word and they’re consistent.

How do you find out if someone is faithful? Ask for references! Past job history is a great indicator of how they’ll perform at your worksite.

They are available.

What does it mean to be available? Basically, they are there when you need them. People have doctor’s appointments and vacations and other necessary workplace interruptions.

But overall, are they willing to be in the office when you need them in the office? Do you make themselves available to you without you always asking?

They are teachable.

If somebody is teachable, they have humility to receive instruction or teaching. When you give them an instruction, do they listen intently and take notes? Do they read your material and understand the core beliefs of your business? Do you listen to your advice and implement it?

How about job tasks? Do they order tasks like you’ve asked? Are they willing to read, listen, and understand new concepts?

So, your first step in hiring excellent employees is to look for people who are faithful, available, and teachable – F.A.T. This is a great place to start. Also, it’s an awesome way to weed out candidates in the first round of interviews. Just always remember to look for order, not perfection.

Grab the FREE Ultimate Hiring Checklist at the end of this post!

The 5 F’s to Help You Identify an Excellent Employee:

Now, as you proceed with a select number of candidates, search for order in their lives. If they value an orderly life, they will value your business and the time they invest into your business. Here are five areas to determine whether the potential candidate values an orderly life.

Faith

How is their walk with the Lord?
Do they have a daily prayer life?
Are they reading the Bible consistently?
Do they consider how their faith impacts their work and vice versa?

Feelings

Are they emotionally consistent? (This is a KEY factor for me.)
Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve?
How do they get along with others?

Finances

Are they overly distracted with their finances?
Do they always need financial help?
Or are they so focused on making money that they have no time for God?

Friends

Do they keep good company?
Are their friends leading them toward the things of God or away from the things of God?
What does social media say about their friendships?

Family

Is the husband and wife’s relationship one of love and harmony?
Or are they disagreeing constantly?
Do their children seem to be properly behaved?
Is the family involved with a church, or part of a Bible study or small group?

Please do not misunderstand my intention with this teaching – we are not looking for perfect people. No one is perfect but one, and that is Jesus. However, we do need to have perspective about people without passing judgment.

As you consider hiring new employees, take the F.A.T. characteristics and the 5 F’s of Order into account. Using these tools will significantly lower your stress level while searching for your next excellent employee.

I’ve created a FREE Ultimate Interview Checklist for finding your next excellent employee! It’s available in the freebies library. Grab immediate access by entering your name & email below!