Qualities Employers Want

More than ever, employers want employees who can produce results! Here are qualities employers seek in their employees.

Attitude

You hear a lot about folks with "an attitude". If you've got a positive attitude, you’re a winner in your employers eyes.  A willing and positive attitude was rated as the most important character trait.

• Communication Skills
• The ability to communicate ranks second
• Willingness to Perform
• Willingness to gain on the job experience.
• Willingness to take on responsibility.
• Willingness to get along with coworkers
• Flexibility
• Being open to suggestions and task performance
• Enthusiasm and Job Motivation
• Process Thinkers

Doing your work well used to be good enough. Now employers need workers that both do their work well and think about how they do their work simultaneously! Do you ever perform a task more than once? Do you do it the same way the second time? Shame on you if you do! Think about what can be done faster, with less effort, or in a more productive manner.  Then propose the changes to management—your employer will love you for it!

Problem Solvers

Face it, we consume someone else's product at work and produce a product for someone else. How well you manage the chain above you and support the chain below you effects how well the company works. Employers want folks who know how they affect everyone else's work and affect it positively.

Communicate clearly what you need from the folks who produce the product you use. Be receptive to the needs of the consumers of your product. You're all working to accomplish the same goal - make the process as smooth as possible for everyone!

Emotional Intelligence

There are too many conversations about bickering, uncooperative co-workers.  Employers want employees who are:

• · Not Judgmental. Give your co-workers the benefit of the doubt. Focus on getting a result or solving the problem at hand. Ask yourself, "Do I know all the facts?" Judging puts you in an emotional quagmire. Don't go there!
• · Above Hearsay. In court, testimony is inadmissible unless the witness tells what he or she observed with his or her five senses. Don't repeat anything that you don't know first-hand. Build credibility by not taking sides or gossiping. Report only what you know! Don't speculate!
• · Don't Project. Psychologists tell us that we see our own faults in others'  behavior. Know yourself and what you don't like about yourself, and then deal with it outside of work! Don't project it onto your colleagues.

Alignment with the Company Values

We position employees in our organizations to do work we can't accomplish alone. But we must make sure our personal life vision is aligned with the vision of the company. If we can't support the company's vision, we withdraw our energy from the company and invest it elsewhere. Neither you nor your employer is well served if you can't support your employer's mission. Do your homework before, during and after your interview. Check the company website, it's annual report and anything else you can find about it. If you can't support the company's purpose, find one you can support! Employees with results-driven attitudes, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, emotionally well adjusted and aligned with the company are worth their weight in gold!