Thursday 8 December 2011

10 Characteristics Employers Appreciate

Whether you get your degree from one of the best online colleges or from one of the top brick-and-mortar schools, you're going to have to develop a certain set of soft skills that all employers hope to find in potential employees. Increasingly, employers are looking to hire people who can not only do their jobs well, but also fit well within  their companies' cultures. Some employers have gone so far as to say that they would take a person with lesser technical skills if he was a good cultural fit. Technical skills, they say, can be taught, but it's difficult to teach someone soft skills.

Graduating summa cum laude is an admirable feat that not many people can achieve. But when it comes time to enter the workforce, that won't amount to a hill of beans if you

  1. can't communicate well -- both written and oral communication
  2. lack honesty and integrity -- employers shouldn't have to worry about you walking off with important
  company files should you be let go or quit.
  3. can't work well as part of a team
  4. can't get along well with others -- this almost goes without saying.
  5. lack motivation and initiative
  6. don't have a strong work ethic
  7. lack analytical skills
  8. aren't flexible or adaptable -- whether you're asked to assist on a major project or just help empty trash
  cans, you should do it with enthusiasm and excellence.
  9. lack computer skills
10. lack self-confidence

The hiring process is time consuming and expensive, so employers want people on their teams who not only have the potential to be with the company for at least five years or longer, but who also afford them the option of promoting from within. Because hiring past interns is growing in popularity among today's employers, college students who can demonstrate at least half of the preferred qualities on the list during their internships could dramatically improve their chances of finding jobs after graduation.

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