Top 10 Qualities Employers Seek

Posted by Nicolette Pizzitola on September 26, 2007 5:02 AM PDT

Tags: advice, coaching, cover letter, hiring, initiative, job interview, motivation, network, resume, Teamwork, work ethic

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A Job Outlook 2006 survey identified the top 10 qualities employers seek as:

1. Communication Skills (verbal and written)
2. Honesty/Integrity
3. Teamwork Skills (work well with others)
4. Strong Work Ethic
5. Analytical Skills
6. Flexibility/Adaptability
7. Interpersonal Skills (relate well to others)
8. Motivation/Initiative
9. Computer Skills
10. Detail Oriented

As you prepare resumes and cover letters, network and conduct interviews think about your framing your personal strengths and skills with this list in mind.

Although a resume is a designed to extol your virtues and highlight your skills and past achievement, to get the job, the employer must be able to see you in the job, filling the role and even bringing more to it than s/he imagined.

Putting your experience and talents in context gives the employer the framework to see how you would meet their needs and how you fit in their organization.

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2 Comments

I've had the experience of building teams for new business ventures in many parts of the world, and I can assert that good communication and honesty are the most important ingredients for a strong team. I would put honesty at the top of the list.

I believe that most people want to do a good job and are willing to work hard. To unleash this potential, the manager must give their employees clear direction, adequate resources and equipment, and strong motivation.

Of course it's possible for an employee to deliver good results even if they have poor communication skills, but such an employee will be less effective when working on a team: this means that employees with poor communication skills are destined to solo contributor roles. They won't have the opportunity to rise in management roles. While this is a challenge, it can be surmounted with goodwill and effort on both sides.

But without honesty, the whole team breaks down. Managers rely on their staff to get projects done. They depend upon honest assessments, accurate tracking, diligent reporting and plenty of candid feedback. If an employee withholds information, or provides inaccurate or misleading information, then the whole project is jeopardized. So this is a really serious issue for both parties.

For the candidate who is seeking to brush up a resume while searching for a new job, my recommendation would be to speak to two or three previous managers who would be willing to give a positive professional reference on your behalf. One can't simply state "honest" or "good communicator" on the resume. Value judgments of this sort are better stated by a neutral party, such as a previous boss.

All of this points to the tremendous importance of maintaining cordial relationships with previous bosses. It's vitally important to keep these relationships intact and positive, because only your previous boss can tell your future boss just how great an employee you are.

Posted by Rob on September 30, 2007 5:54 PM PDT

Needs to be expanded upon. How can you improve on these things if you don't have them? How do you describe them in your interview or on your resume? For example.