If you’ve ever come across a job advertisement, chances are you’ve seen some interesting traits outlined for the prospective employee. Every employer wants to hire an individual who will bring value to their company. In a more business-oriented sense, an employee that will contribute to the strategic goals and overall growth of the company. So, who are these types of employees? What traits do they have that sets them apart from the rest? Let's have a look at 11 traits that are found in the smartest and most efficient employees. Read:Considering a Career Change? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Qualities of an Ideal Employee They Take initiative The ability to take initiative is a crucial aspect of leadership quality. A business might not have the ability or the resources to spoon-feed every aspect to its employees. Smart and efficient employees don’t wait to be taught. They take charge themselves and get going from the start. An effective employee finds and devises ways to bring organizational growth instead of being complacent. They are ambitious Work is just a 9 to 5 routine for most employees. But an efficient and smart employee doesn’t limit his goals to the usual routine. While most employees might not have a long-term goal for the future, an efficient employee will always eye for advancement. Ambition defines the strength of character of the employee as well as their perseverance to achieve excellence. It might not look much initial, but an ambitious employee will be greatly motivated by his desire to climb the ladder. Read Bad Habits Successful People Never Waste Time With They show Leadership An efficient employee manifests leadership attributes in everything they do. We mentioned taking initiatives before. In reality, taking initiative is just one of the attributes associated with leadership qualities. Their ability to quick thinking and tackling tough situations easily makes them an important asset for any organization. When it comes to the management of an organization, it's important to focus on the qualities that will increase organizational proficiency. And leadership qualities are one of its important pillars. They can fit in An employee is also a colleague. So naturally, they need to be a team player. An ideal employee shares the same vision and motivation as their colleagues to work for the betterment of the organization. Since this is a person you will be working with day in day out, they have to be a cultural fit to your organization. A smart and efficient employee would easily blend in with his or her environment and create an amicable atmosphere for their employees. Read:Effective tips for hunting jobs during pandemic They show a positive aura A person's demeanor says a lot about them. Joyful and upbeat people are not only good at their work, but they also promote a positive aura among their peers. It's normal to have burnout from work. However, an efficient employee would show easy recovery from burnout and deal with each failure positively. The ability to be persistent even in the face of failure translates to better output in the future. Needless to say, these employees are an asset and their traits are something that an organization can greatly benefit from. They are honest Regardless of whether the employee is efficient or not, one thing that is a must in every employee is their honesty. An honest person would naturally be inclined to give their all for the organization. Beyond anything, an organization needs honest employees who will be unfazed in every situation. Whether or not they can contribute much to the organizational growth, they will at least keep the organizational integrity intact. Read Perfect Resume: 12 Effective Tips for writing professional CV They are detail-oriented Attention to detail is another important aspect. Not just for employees, rather every human should try to cultivate this trait. An employee is expected to be tasked with a lot of work. That is how a normal job works. But does that provide room to make errors? As much as it doesn’t, in the end, employees are still people. But as long as they are detail-oriented and are willing to focus better, it's always better for the company. Attention to detail ensures that there are no unwarranted issues that might slouch the progress. They are good listeners We would like to classify this trait within the leadership quality as well. An efficient employee will always focus on what others have to say. Listening to others not only gives them a wider perspective on a matter but also helps to build up relations which are important in an organization. It also helps to avoid any sort of miscommunication within the organization. Read:How to be a Confident English Speaker? They influence others This might seem ominous at first but rest assured, it's also an effective trait of an efficient employee. Ensuring personal growth alone won't ensure the growth of the organization. An employee might be highly smart and efficient but if that doesn’t resonate through the organization, the growth won't be significant. The ability to influence others helps the employee to bring out the inner best of others as well. They are critical thinkers An effective employee always thinks critically. They give every aspect a rundown before concluding. Decisions made in haste or with insufficient perspective often cause the downfall of an organization. An efficient employee doesn’t leave anything to chance and holds sufficient data or information to back up their call. Read Spending Money for Happiness: 10 Effective Ways They are Marketable We are talking about an employee who is eloquent and knows how to grab the attention of the client. Marketing is obviously one of the key aspects of any organization. A marketable employee is a good presenter. An employee should be able to present themselves as well as the vision of the company to the clients in a persuasive manner. This trait goes a long way to ensure the growth and marketability of the company. Bottom Line There are a lot of traits that define an efficient, valuable, and talented employee. It's not easy to list them all here. However, we tried to highlight the most significant ones that catch the eye at first glance. If you are an employee looking for your next break, try and focus on these qualities to stand out from the crowd. Read:How to ace a Job Interview?