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Key Qualities Employers Seek in Job Applicants

By Rick Fromme

“There are as many opinions as there are experts,” former president Franklin D. Roosevelt astutely espoused. That’s certainly true when it comes to ascertaining important attributes employers seek in job candidates. As in many elements pertaining to one’s career search — creating an effective résumé, crafting a compelling cover letter, honing one’s interview skills, developing key questions to ask during a job interview, knowing how to negotiate your salary — there’s a plethora of sound advice from sagacious experts, all of whom are eager to share their wisdom.

The Power of Character

Eleanor Roosevelt with Fala (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It seems our former POTUS (President of the United States) and his spouse, FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States), were both wizened individuals; that’s undoubtedly one reason why they were a dynamic chief executive duo. For, like her husband, the indefatigable Eleanor Roosevelt was also skilled at making pithy observations, as evinced by her statement, “Only a man’s character is the real criterion of worth.” Indeed, many contemporary business experts and pundits, including Dr. Stephen Covey and Zig Ziglar, have reiterated similar sentiments. Regardless of one’s qualifications or “hard skills,” says Vivian Giang of “Business Insider,” there are four key character traits that are important for any particular job.

Ambition: Employees should demonstrate drive and desire for success. Otherwise, it’s impossible to build the successful company that the founder(s) envision.

Initiative: Managers prefer having employees who can organize their workloads and execute their business without constant supervision. Employees who can identify challenges and create solutions are even more valuable.

Commitment: Employees who are willing to go the distance for a company, even during lean times, are always assets for any firm.

Personality: Employers prefer having employees who are pleasant to work with. They promote a sense of well-being in the workplace. Contributing to a positive workplace ambience is important.

Serial entrepreneur James Caan stated in his post on LinkedIn, “There have actually been times when I have brought people into my business purely because they had these qualities. They weren't necessarily the most qualified on paper, but they ticked the right boxes in terms of character. Many candidates go into interviews and are keen to emphasize their skills ... if you can also show potential employers you have most of the qualities listed above — preferably with examples — you will almost certainly become a more attractive candidate.”

NACE Makes its Case

Recently, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) was asked to determine what its staff deemed important attributes of would-be employees. According to NACE’s Outlook 2014 survey, employers are looking for team players who are adept at problem solving, who can organize their work, and who can communicate effectively. Ranked from most to least important in its survey, the responses are as follows:

Ability to Work in a Team Structure

Ability to Make Decisions and Solve Problems

Ability to Plan, Organize and Prioritize Work

Ability to Verbally Communicate with Persons Inside and Outside the Organization

Ability to Obtain and Process Information

Ability to Analyze Quantative Data

While writers/editors and sales personnel may fervently debate its findings, the least two important attributes, at least according to NACE’s survey, were the “ability to create and/or edit written reports” and the “ability to sell or influence others.”

“Soft skills,” similar to one’s character,

are interpersonal skills
and attributes one must have

to succeed in the workplace."

Soft Skills: Wear Them Comfortably

As mentioned earlier, there are tangible skills and qualifications applicants need. These are the “hard skills” that are job-specific, the requisite, skills an aspiring candidate must have when applying for a specific job. Then there are “soft skills,” which, similar to one’s character, are interpersonal skills and attributes one must possess to succeed in the workplace. It’s important to demonstrate to employers you have command of both hard and soft skill sets when interviewing for jobs. Even more importantly, it’s important you demonstrate them regularly once you’ve landed that coveted position.

English: Stephen Covey at the FMI Show, Palestrante on June 22, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Analytical

Employees need to be able to puzzle things out, having analytical skills are important in the workplace (and in life in general). The level of this mostly left-brain attribute will vary depending on the job and the industry. In conjunction with being able to analyze and solve things, employees are expected to be able to organize, plan and prioritize tasks effectively. As Dr. Stephen Covey was noted for saying, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Communication

Regardless of what NACE says, most other experts agree that the e ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing is paramount, no matter what job you have or industry you work in. You’ll need to be able to communicate with fellow employees and managers, perhaps with clients or other businesses with whom your firm interacts. You’ll need to be able to do so online, in writing, face-to-face, on the phone, and perhaps using video conferencing.

Interpersonal

Interpersonal skills, often times called “people skills,” are what you use when you engage and interact with others. The ability to connect with other people is important. Your interpersonal skills will be evaluated during job interviews and during your tenure in the workplace, so it’s important your "people prowess" is up to par. Nobody likes working with employees who are surly, have a prima donna attitude, are prejudicial, or who are unpleasant. Sure, we all have bad moments and days, but always strive to put your best self forward.

Leadership

Portrait of Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The old business model of leaders carrying a big stick doesn't hold true anymore. Today, the best leaders empower their fellow coworkers to strive for excellence. Lao-Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher who penned the “Tao Te Ching,” said it best, “When the best leader's work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”

Positive Attitude

Attitude might not be everything, but it’s very important. Employers want positive thinking employees, even in stressful and challenging circumstances. They want team players that demonstrate a “can do” attitude, and that are willing to go the extra mile(s) to get the job done.

Teamwork

Regardless of the job, employers want to hire cooperative team players who work well with others. They don’t want employees who are difficult to work with. When you are interviewing, be sure to share examples of how you worked in a cooperative environment. Here, extracurricular examples may be used such as sports, playing in a band or singing in a choir, group volunteer work, etc.

Technical

Depending upon the job, the necessary technical skill will vary. These days, many jobs require nominal computer and peripheral equipment skills.

Showcase Your Skills

To be certain you’re showing your top skills when you're job searching, make a list of the skills and qualities you’ve demonstrated in the past. Also, think of examples of how you’ve applied these skills to achieve success in previous jobs, school and/or volunteer and civic work. Think of ways to include them in your résumé and/or cover letters. Whenever appropriate, share these examples during your interviews as well.

Amble Soup

To warm up your memory during these colder winter months, here’s a veritable alphabet soup of important soft skills to peruse at your leisure:

A - D

Able to Listen

Accept Feedback

Alphabet Soup (Photo credit: Thriving Vegetarian)

Adaptable

Artistic Sense

Assertive

Attentive

Business Trend Awareness

Collaborating

Communication

Competitive

Confidant

Conflict Resolution

Cooperative

Courteous

Creative Thinker

Critical Thinker

Crisis Management

Critical Observer

Critical Thinker

Customer Service Experience

Deal Making

Deal with Difficult Situations

Deal with Office Politics

Deals with Difficult People

Decision Making

Dedicated

Delegation

Dependable

Design Sense

Desire to Learn

Diplomatic

Disability Awareness

Dispute Resolution

Ergonomic Blogger (Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)

Diversity Awareness

E - G

Editing Experience

Effective Communicator

Emotion Management

Emotional Intelligence

Empathetic

Energetic

Enthusiastic

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Ergonomic Sensitivity

Establish Interpersonal Relationships

Experience Dealing with Difficult Personalities

Experience

Facilitating

Flexible

Follow Instructions

Follow Regulations

Follow Rules

Friendly

Functions Well Under Pressure

Giving Feedback

Good at Networking

Good at Storytelling

Good Attitude

H - O

High Energy

Highly Organized

Highly Recommended

Honest

Independent

Influence/Persuasive

Deadline (UK TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Innovator

Inspiring

Intercultural Competence

Interpersonal

Interviewing

Knowledge Management

Leadership Skills

Listening Skills

Make Deadlines

Management Skills

Managing Difficult Conversations

Managing Remote Teams

Managing Virtual Teams

Meeting Management

Mentoring

Motivated

Motivating

Negotiation Skills

Organized

P - R

Patience

Perform Effectively in a Deadline Environment

Performance Management

Public speaking (Photo credit: brainpop_uk)

Perseverance

Persistence

Persuasion

Physical Communication

Planning

Positive Work Ethic

Possess Business Ethics

Presentation

Problem-solver

Process Improvement

Proper Business Etiquette

Public Speaking

Punctual

Quick-witted

Read Body Language

Reliable

Research

Resilient

Resolving Issues

Respectful

Respectable

Results-oriented

S - U

Safety Conscious

Scheduling

Franklin D. Roosevelt (seated third from left, in white shirt) in a school photo of football teams in Groton, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Self-Awareness

Self-directed

Self-monitoring

Self-supervising

Selling Skills

Sense of Humor

Stay on Task

Strategic Planning

Stress Management

Successful Coach

Supervising

Take Criticism

Talent Management

Team Building

Team Player

Technology Savvy

Technology Trend Awareness

Thinks Outside the Box

Time Management

Tolerant of Change and Uncertainty

Train the Trainer

Vermeer A Lady Writing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Trainable

Training

Troubleshooter

V - Z

Value Education

Verbal Communication

Visual Communication

Well-Groomed

Willing to Accept Feedback

Willingness to Learn

Work Well Under Pressure

Work-Life Balance

Writing Experience

Writing Reports and Proposals

Writing Skills

Xenophiliac (I’ll wager you didn’t think we’d have an ‘X’; see Diversity Awareness)

Zeal
Zest

Rick Fromme combines entrepreneurial enthusiasm with an insider's knowledge of the medical industry to co-found MedMasters.com. Both his drive and perspective provide health care professionals with a superior mechanism with which to communicate, network and market their strengths. Prior to founding MedMasters.com, Rick operated a highly successful medical device distributorship. Other milestones in his 12-year career in the medical industry include a key position at a medical device start-up company that was later sold to the Ethicon Endo division of Johnson & Johnson. You can reach Rick by connecting with him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube.