A resume and a one-hour job interview is all it usually takes hiring managers to determine your worthiness for a specific job. Businesses often look for 10 specific traits, however, when trying to find the perfect fit.
Attitude
Because the energy you bring to the office transfers to co-workers, one factor of employability is your level of optimism. In fact, a 2008 "British Medical Journal" study reports that happiness is contagious: Your happiness increases the likelihood of your neighbor being happy by 34 percent, and your close friends by 25 percent.
Reliability
Showing up and performing the work is critical in certain industries, such as health services, aviation and public safety. Convey this trait by showing up early to the job interview. Drive to the interview location a day early and lay out interview clothes the night before.
Loyalty
Hiring and training workers is expensive: Professor William Pinkovitz at the University of Wisconsin lists job turnover costs, including issuing severance pay, hiring and testing new workers, and paying more in unemployment compensation. Because of the high costs of job turnover, employers desire loyalty. Provide a brief explanation on your resume for any work experience lasting less than one year.
Potential
Employers want to hire employees invested in the outcome of the business. If asked what your plans are for the next five or 10 years, provide an answer relating it to the industry. Convey a desire to advance your skills and knowledge in the profession.
Know-How
Companies expect to train its employees on perform aspects of the job, but workers must enter the position with a certain skill set related to the task. Hiring managers assess your education and work experience as a way of ensuring your qualifications. Modify each resume to reflect only the skills related to the job for which you're applying.
Past Performance
Human resources wants evidence of how well you performed previous tasks. When describing your prior jobs on your resume, begin each statement with an action verb, followed by a results-oriented description. For example, instead of "handled basic payroll," say "managed the payroll for 50 employees and provided oversight for quarterly taxes."
Work Ethic
A willingness to work overtime and late hours isn't the only indicator of work ethic: Hiring managers want to know you'll take initiative and find work during downswings. Express a desire for improving areas that others tend to overlook. Perhaps this means updating the department's training manual or updating the tabs on the files in the cabinet.
Team Skills
Working well with others is critical for managing projects, reporting to superiors and issuing directives to subordinates. Emphasize the success of past group projects during interview questions. Also mention if you mediated any conflicts with group members.
Humility
To improve, workers must be willing to accept and own past mistakes. Hiring managers ask job interview questions related to failure as a way of gauging humility. The question may appear to be a trick, but providing an honest answer of how you identified a true weakness, corrected it and moved on indicates a willingness to learn.
Tech Savviness
Explaining use business-specific software is expected, but candidates should know use basic word-processing programs and spreadsheet software and possess keyboard skills.
Tags: Hiring managers, early interview, interview questions, work experience, workers must, your resume
