What sorts of qualities are employers looking for in potential candidates?

Hi Cameron,

You have asked a very interesting question. The answer to this varies from company to company, depending on what they value the most. In some companies, the core values for what they stand for are very clearly articulated and every single person to be hired is assessed on those values. This is often called as "Culture-fit". This is over and beyond how good you have been found for your technical skills to do your day-to-day job. In other companies where their values are not articulated well enough, they could just look for how well your skills are suitable to do the job. This is often called as "Role-fit".

In either case, there are some basic skills that will always be valued. These are apart from technical skills for the job that you may already have from your education or prior experience.

• Communication skills - Ability to clearly and precisely convey your thoughts and point of view. when asked a question during an interview, you have to keep your response to around a minute or so in order to have the interviewer's attention. This can be achieved through practice. When I have been to interviews, I make it a practice to take a few seconds before I start responding to the question. Then, I convey my answer in points. So, I begin by saying "Let me answer this question in 3 points. Point 1....."This really helps be structure my thoughts and forces me to be concise in my response"
• Curiosity - Showcase your genuine curiosity to learn more about the job, company etc. This means two things -1) Don't shy away from asking questions that will help to learn productively.; 2) Do your research and learn about the company as much as you can before the interview (you can go through glassdoor, read latest company news in the media etc). The willingness to learn and be adaptable to change is key to any job.
• Honesty & Integrity - If you don't know something, be bold to say "I don't know, but I am happy to learn". Don't cook up stories to present a false image of yourself.

Hope this helps!

Great question, figuring out which qualities to display on and focus on during interviews is always a challenge. There is nothing wrong with being friendly, it is preferable that you are friendly rather being mean; however, it is important to confident in your posture and answers. The importance of mock interviews cannot be overstated, there is no better way to prepare yourself for an interview. Although each employer will be looking for something different in terms of skill set or experience based on the job, there are a few key qualities (also known as soft skills) that all employers love to see. For starters, employers want to know that you are reliable, hard-working, have a positive attitude, and willing to learn. In addition to the previously mentioned items, employers want to know if you understand the company’s mission and goals, and that your goals and work ethic will align with the company’s.

When applying and interviewing with any company is its imperative to read the job description and research the company. Make sure that your resume and responses align with what the company is looking for. If you have experience that is relevant for the role, make sure to highlight it. As I mentioned above, employers want to know you are eager to learn, and therefore is it very beneficial to ask thoughtful questions (which should be developed based on the research you performed on the company) during your interviews, to show you are interested in learning more about the role and company.

Regards,

Amit

Hi Cameron,

As per me following are the qualities companies look for while hiring:

1. Technical skill match as per the job requirement
2. Honesty and integrity
3. Teamplayer
4. Commitment and Passion
5. Accountability
6. Good communication skills
7. Problem solving

Thanks,

Anita Jain

The most valuable commodities in today's market aren't quite what you might expect. While technical skills are obviously important, the most valuable commodity is trust, closely followed by transparency and effective communication skills. Most skills can be learned but to be someone with integrity who communicates clearly and positively will set you apart from those that don't have those skills or haven't taken time to develop those skills.

Be yourself, there's no point selling yourself as one thing only for you to join a firm and they then find out you are something different.

Everyone is different and has unique perspectives and experiences that have helped them develop and grow, so to exhibit those characteristics and strengths is considered to be a strong approach.