Top Attributes Employers Look For

         Each job position is different, so every employer is looking for very specific things on your resume and in interviews that make you the best candidate for a position. However, after years in Human Resources in various industries, there are 16 attributes that employers are looking for. Although these aren't guaranteed to get you every job you apply for, they will make you in the top three for best choice.

1. Ability to communicate

        This is more than the ability to speak well. Every great candidate has the skills needed to communicate in both verbal and written form. Listening is also a big portion of being able to communicate well.

2. Intelligence

         Great candidates have the knowledge needed to follow assignments, remember verbal and written instructions, focus on the current task, and follow through on actions. What gives a great candidate a more competitive edge is being able to generate realistic ideas and to be an efficient problem solver.

3. Self confidence

         No one wants to work with the coworker who refuses to participate because they don't believe that have anything to contribute. Nor does anyone want to work with the arrogant coworker who only wants to pursue his own ideas. A happy medium to aim for is a worker who has the talent to lead and  to follow happily. 

4. Willingness to accept responsibility

         A great candidate does more than volunteer to complete a task. Great candidates should have the initiative to recognize a problem and fix it without instruction to do so. An awesome coworker to work with will understand the balance between success and sacrifice. There are only results equal to the amount of sacrifice you provide.

5. Leadership

         Anyone can say that they are a leader. It's crucial that if you say that you are a leader you have real life examples of leadership. For example, I'm an active member of Toastmaster's Inc. I would say in an interview that I'm a leader because I'm the VP of Education; coordinate club, area, and district level speech competitions; and take care of all new member affairs.

6. Imagination

         One of the greatest assets of this generation's college graduates is that they have the greatest capacity for innovation and creativity compared to previous generation's. Having the talent to imagine new ways to increase efficiency and to build revenue for a company makes you an invaluable candidate for a company. 

7. Flexibility

         An awesome candidate is very adaptable to change. Whether it's a transfer to a new location, new position in the company, or given new tasks to complete in the middle of a current project. It's best to make a list of what you're not willing to change before going for an interview. Be wary though, most companies will only make regular exceptions for school, certain religious holidays, and medical reasons. As unfair as it is, I have looked over and have been surpassed myself by candidates with more open schedules.

8. Interpersonal skills

         If you say, "I have great interpersonal skills," at an interview, you've held up a big sign  that you don't. The phrase interpersonal skills makes every recruiter cringe and all your coworkers judge you horribly. It's like saying, "I'm the most humble person I know," to a priest. The reason is because interpersonal skills is a combination of active listening, verbal and non-verbal communication, public speaking, accountability, and self-management. Something to say instead would be, "I'm a very good with verbal and non-verbal communication, but I'm building my public speaking and self-management by-" then have an example of a situation where you are a good communicator.

9. Self knowledge
         This includes you likes, dislikes, morals, values, physical and spiritual health. A candidate who wants to be a cashier because of this, that, and the other is much more impressive than a doctor because your parents wouldn't let you be an actor.

10. Ability to handle conflict
          This is tricky because every occupation has an implied amount of stress. If it is your dream to be a stock broker, but are bad with deadlines and personal accountability, you would save yourself a lot of hair-tearing-out by rethinking your career goals.

11. Goal achievement
           Recruiters love to hear about how you want to change the world for the better, but they really want to know how you plan on doing it. How did you plan your project? What were your obstacles? How did you handle them? What was the outcome? Did you achieve everything you set out to do?

12. Competitiveness
           Employers want candidates who can get along with everyone, but there needs to be a healthy dose of competition both between coworkers and with external companies. As much as we like to talk up that business is for the greater good of humanity, it's still a game of thrones.

13. Vocational skills
           Also known as technical skills or hard skills, these are any talents and aptitudes specific to an occupation. A candidate who completed a two year apprenticeship in mechanical engineering is miles ahead of the competition for a job position than someone who went to college.

14. Direction
           For my first 'real job,' I was asked, "Why do you want to work for our company?" I replied, "I have a personal career goal to become a Project Manager within 10 years, and to become a Business Analyst within 25 years. This company is directly relevant to that goal, and I plan on challenging myself to learn the trade and to gain as much direct work experience with you." I was hired the next day. For recruiters, a candidate with specific goals and a detailed plan to achieve that goal is a diamond in the rough. It shows planning, assertiveness, self-management, time-management, competitiveness, self-knowledge, and accountability all rolled into one answer.