Hiring managers, upper level management, and business owners looking to grow their companies are always interested in searching out the best talent. Sadly, a lot of job candidates oftentimes come into job interviews in competition with hundreds. It’s not uncommon to have academic histories and/or work experience that doesn’t perfectly correspond to the job, either. Notwithstanding, there are always some things an employer will always value as qualities in an employee.

Here are the top ten qualities employers look for in employees:

1. Loyalty

Loyalty is one of the top qualities employers look for in any employee. If you can demonstrate you’re a loyal person, you could be the right employee for the job. If you’re in a job interview, you can emphasize loyalty by bringing attention to how long you’ve worked in the past for other companies and by speaking positively about past employers. If you’re already in the role, being supportive of your company is an important part of communicating you’re a team player who isn’t going anywhere.

2. Focus on personal and professional growth

Employers want employees who are happy in their roles and who want to grow. No one wants someone who feel stagnated or that are not invested doing their job to the best of their abilities. Employers want someone who wants growth and who wants to advance. By establishing you’re concerned with your professional trajectory and focused on doing whatever you can to grow as an employee, it usually puts you into management’s good graces. It shows that you match the qualities employers look for.

3. Motivational qualities

Setting you apart from other employees can be your level of motivation. Be willing to take on responsibilities non-traditional to your role. If there’s an opportunity to learn or participate on a project that falls outside of your job description, do it. By showing you’re motivated to contribute to your employer’s success, it goes a long way in them relying on you and possibly resulting in anything from a pay raise to a promotion down the line.

4. Goal-oriented qualities

As an employer, you want someone who is going to be driven to achieve the objective. If every time an employee receives a goal, they succeed in achieving it, you know you can rely on said employee to deliver the required performance each and every time.

Although some companies may penalize an employee for being too goal-oriented and/or for having ambition which exceeds what a company can deliver, if those employers are uncomfortable with having an employee with ambition, that’s on them.

5. Honesty

Honesty is important and one of the unspoken qualities employees look for in employees. Without it, an employee might be seen in a different light than what the reality is. Always be honest. As an employee, if you are assigned a task you are unsure you can achieve, it doesn’t hurt to be honest with your employer. They can maybe assign a support person or provide more resources to ensure the goal is met. When an employer can count on an employee to speak openly and honestly, that further establishes they can be relied on.

6. Initiative to speak up

Don’t be frightened to speak up if something’s bothering you or if you believe a change in your work could yield positive results. If there’s a safety hazard or if someone is being mistreated, most employers want to know and these are important things to speak up about. Secondly, if you identify areas where improvements can be made or if you have ideas that could positively affect a company’s bottom line, speak up about them. If an employer can see an employee as an ‘ideas person’ or someone who is not afraid to address difficult subjects in the workplace, that further elevates an employee.

7. Humility

If someone in the workplace is coming off as a genius and when confidence begins to blend towards arrogance, that’s a problem. A lack of humility is going to stoke resentment and an employee will be seen as a know-it-all. Professionally speaking, humility oftentimes involves acknowledging the people who help you achieve your performance, being a team player, and motivating others.

8. Positivity

No one wants to be around someone who is miserable to be there. An employee who is miserable or speaking negatively about the employer is likely to cause those around them to feel similarly. For this reason, employees who are inherently negative are oftentimes let go. Instead, be motivating, positive, hopeful, and energetic in how you approach your work.

9. Professional communication

From an employer’s perspective, when an employee communicates with other team members or clients, you want to know they’re not being inappropriate, discussing personal matters that don’t belong in the workplace, or that are discussing taboo workplace subjects like politics, religion, or sex.

Professionalism in communication keeps the conversation on the task at-hand. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with connecting on a personal level. There is such thing as taking communications further than what is appropriate.

10. Presence and leadership qualities

Employers want leaders in the workplace and they want people who have presence when they walk into a room. If you can establish that others are willing to follow you or that you are able to successfully lead others, that’s a huge advantage.

When the time comes to hire an assistant manager, to promote a supervisor, or to bring someone else into upper level management, an employee with presence like this can leverage their leadership skills to be considered. These employee qualities can often be tested and assessed ahead of time before hiring.