I have been a small business owner for over 15 years in Atlanta, Georgia. The business is a full service landscape company but we have done a wide variety of things over the years to make money. The many side services we have performed include cleaning apartments, painting houses, remodeling and repairs to houses and apartments, concrete work and a variety of other odds and ends.

I say that because in all those instances and the services we perform in the regular operations of our business I have seen a wide variety of people come and go. Some real good, some good, some not so good and some really bad. Basically, I have seen it all. This is not to say there isn't more to learn, always more to learn, but I have seen enough that it does not take me long to figure out the good from the not so good. It does take some time to determine if someone is really good and I have been around long enough that people don't typically last long enough to get put into the really bad category, but there are those cases.

What I know, at this point, is there are some basic things a person can do that will put them in the good category in a very short amount of time. It takes work to stay there but initially, in the first interview and the first couple of days on the job, here are the things I look for that give me an idea of whether this person has what I am looking for in an employee.

Whether they work into the really good category or not is up to them and how they consistently perform their job, This article is about the initial interview and the first week on the job.

#1 - Firm handshake and look me in the eye

Now, the firm handshake thing seems to be a cultural thing. By that I mean some cultures don't seem to shake hands firmly. If you are American - you need to be able to shake hands. Looking in the eye is a human thing. If you can't look me in the eye, you are probably hiding something. At least this is the initial test as to whether I feel you are trustworthy or not. This is important because as we proceed with the interview I am analyzing everything you are saying on an honesty scale. If you look me in the eye you have a better chance of me believing you.

#2 - How well you speak and can you tell your story

One of the first things I do in an interview is ask the person to give me a little 3 - 5 minute executive summary on who they are and what they have done over the last couple of years. If you stumble around with this and have trouble describing who you are and what you have done in the past couple of years, even if its nothing, there are some serious red flags that have just been thrown up. Get your story straight.

#3 - How you carry yourself and dress and sit in the interview.

If you dress sloppy and carry yourself sloppy, you are probably sloppy. Meaning, you are not going to care for my stuff or the companies stuff any differently than you care for yourself. How you sit in the chair says a lot for how serious you are about getting hired. If you slouch and can't sit still long enough to carry on the interview you are probably not serious about working and listening to directions.

You are not handling yourself professionally which means you won't represent the company professionally which will result in loss of business and revenue. So why would I hire you?

#4 - How do you work.

In this downturn of economy I have had more over-qualified people showing up at my door for a job than ever before. As a small services business we are in the mix of what is really going on in the marketplace and the employment world. I have many other friends that run small businesses as well and they concur. The real fact of the matter is a lot of people don't want to work. They want a job but they don't want to work.

When you start a job you need to be ready to do anything asked of you and if you find yourself with nothing to do - ask the question "what do you want me to do?". If you just sit there or stand there and wait for the instruction, it looks like you don't really want to work, you just want to collect a paycheck.

#5 - Be Positive

If there is one thing my partner and I talk about more than anything with our employees, it is their attitude. Do you have a friendly demeanor? Are you generally positive? Everybody has a bad day but are more of your days bad than good. Are you a complainer - an Eyore.

In my business there are a lot of moving parts. There are going to be some things that just don't work right all of the time. Its not the end of the world. Either fix the problem or if something vital to the operation isn't working, tell someone, but don't point out every little minor thing that is not perfect. There is the other side to this as well.  Some of our guys will rig things to the point of causing more damage than if we would have got it fixed correctly.  Use common sense here and think about what is important. 

#6 - Take instruction and don't justify or rationalize

There are times when I talk to an employee and I feel like I am talking to my teenagers. There is obviously a problem I am addressing and here comes the justifying and rationalizing. It doesn't work. Especially if you are new to the job. Just listen to what the employer is saying and try to apply it to how you are doing things and make adjustments to fit the needs and desires of what the employer wants. Most of the time in our business it is logistics. Either in how a project is to be completed or a task is to be performed. We have been doing it for many years and we understand what the customer wants and what we need to do to deliver it. When we lay out a plan it isn't to try and make your life more difficult its to get the job done as efficiently and timely as possible. Just do it and ask questions later.

#7 - Show up on time or even a little before and be ready to work

These are not in any particular order or this would probably be #1 or #2. Its amazing how many people show up late. If you want to make an impression, show up early and be ready. You will be ahead of 75% of the competition.

#8 - Stay off the Cell Phone

There is nothing more annoying to an employer than an employee that is constantly on the cell phone. You don't even have to be on it but if it's ringing all the time it means you are probably on it when the employer is not around. Use some common sense and turn it to silent and minimize the usage throughout the day.

#9 - Watch what you say and when you say it.

We recently had a young man work for us and during the interview he called the office manager, "darling". I heard it and thought, "that was not appropriate". The office manager also said something about it when he left. We hired him despite of his blunder as he was a referral from a current employee and gave him a chance. It did not last long. First impressions are huge and usually are correct. Try to keep your comments on a professional basis and maintain that demeanor and you will do well.

#10 - If you want to be a good employee - watch good employees.

One of the best places to watch good people work is restaurants. I waited tables as one of my first - out of college jobs. I was told I did not move fast enough. That did not set well with me but they were right. I had a bad attitude and did not want to work there. I was not hungry enough yet. Years later I waited tables again and became one of the best waiters at the restaurant. You have to keep moving, you need to pay attention and you need to be professional. Watch good waiters and how they handle themselves or other people you might see through the day that do their job well. What are they doing and try to incorporate that into your personal development.

Good luck in your current job or in your current search. I hope these points made sense and gave you some insight from the employers side of things. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Happy Hubbing.