The Personal Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) is a premier organisation in the Philippines that is committed to the advancement of excellence in the practice of professional human resource management. Its president, Ernesto Espinosa, who is also the Assistant Vice-President (HRD & General Affairs) for Fujitsu Computer Products Corporation in the Philippines, shared his insights, based on his personal experience dealing with both employees and job applicants, with The Philippine Star recently. Listen to words of wisdom from Espinosa on what makes a model employee.

The Philippine Star: If there is a roomful of applicants, what makes the right applicant stand out?

Ernesto Espinosa: A pleasing personality. There are people who would probably not look impressive at the outset, but when you talk to them, they exude a lot of confidence. They have above average communication skills. Somehow, there is a certain degree of maturity that can be seen when that person talks. And, of course, level headedness.

PS: What are the most valuable characteristics of an employee today?

EE: One of the characteristics that most employers want is that of flexibility. There are employees, when they are assigned functions outside of their job descriptions, immediately don’t want to accept them. They don’t realise that when a superior assigns you more functions, that means that they trust you and they are preparing you to have more responsibility. Honesty and integrity are very important. All your actions should be above words. Integrity is when you do the right things even if nobody’s watching. A responsible employee is the one who will always follow the rules, who, rather than question policies of the company, will obey first then ask questions later.

PS: What advice can you give to someone who is applying for his first job?

EE: First of all, you have to come up with a one to two page Resume, minus the attachments. Many candidates try to impress by coming up with a Resume where they attach the diploma, certificates, etc. Come up with a one to two page Resume detailing only three aspects: personal information, educational background and work experience. If you don’t have any work experience, then you can indicate your extra-curricular activities in school. And then, once you are called for interview, you should come in proper business attire. During the interview, many candidates fail because they are very timid and, sometimes, they answer a question answerable by a simple “yes” or “no” in a very long-winded manner. Stick to the point.

PS: Once hired, what are the basic things a newly hired employee should do?

EE: My concept of loyalty is: if you want to question the company or your superiors, better put up your own company. But for as long as you are inside the company, you support it. Follow the rules and regulations. Go over the employee handbook, read it carefully and then if you have questions, ask them.

PS: During the minimum probationary period, how would you assess whether an employee is fit to do his job?

EE: When you talk about somebody being fit to do a job, it’s more about the competency level. Is the employee able to do the task assigned to him/her? Is he/she able to meet deadlines? Does he/she follow orders coming from the superiors? Does he/she relate well with the people?

PS: What are some of the qualities which make an employee valuable to the company?

EE: Somebody who can work with minimal supervision. Somebody who gives regular feedback. There is a tendency sometimes to keep problems from the boss. My advice normally is to tell the boss immediately if there are some concerns so that countermeasures can be implemented. Trustworthiness is also important.

PS: To what extent are management and HR responsible in making employees happy?

EE: Both management and HR, being professional, would always think of a win-win situation. It should not only be the concern of the management and HR to increase profitability. A good company should also consider the plight of its people. There is a saying that goes: a company can only be good as the people in it. I think a good company should not pay lip service to that particular quote but rather come up with ways to always have open communication with people, to find out what their concerns are, so that we can create a situation where both the company and employees will benefit.

Adapted from the PMAP Newsletter, May 2002