What do employers look for in a job applicant? What do employers care about? What’s most important for employers? And what can you do to show them that you are the best person for the job?
Understanding your own clear path and having a clear sense of direction can go a long way to achieving this. Employers appreciate candidates who have a clear set of goals and a clear sense of direction.
It is also a valuable skill to be able to recognize your own skills and abilities and be able to demonstrate these by highlighting your achievements. Knowing how to write a good resume is key to this.
What are the qualities employers look for in a job applicant? In general, they are looking for candidates with a combination of skills. Here are some tips on what you can do to identify these abilities and to show that you have them.
What do employers look for in a resume?
A one-size-fits-all resume doesn’t exist. Adapt your resume for every job. The needs of each job are different so to maximize your chances of getting each job you need to tailor your resume, this will give you an advantage over those who don’t. You’ll appear better qualified and more suited to the role.
The first step to achieve this is building a professional resume which contains your core skills and a list of your achievements from previous work, volunteering, college etc. This will make the process of tailoring your resume simpler and quicker.
The next step is to spend time decoding each job ad and write a list of the required skills. You can then add and change information to tailor your resume, making sure that your skills match those of the job description.
What skills do employers look for?
What are employers looking for when recruiting for a position? What skills to put on a resume? Employers look for a combination of both hard skills and soft skills.
- Hard skills are specific, learnable abilities that can be measured. These types of skills include typing, math and web design or speaking fluent Spanish.
- Soft skills are associated with your personality and are harder to measure. These include teamwork, leadership and listening skills.
Demonstrating hard skills is generally more straightforward. You can show employers that you have the required hard skills through your qualifications and experience.
Qualities employers look for in college graduates: If you are applying for your first job this can be more difficult, but knowing how to write an entry-level resume makes a big difference.
However, to really impress potential employers don’t just show that you are good at something, show that you are passionate about something, this is far more valuable to any business or organization.
How to demonstrate your soft skills to employers?
What do recruiters want to hear? What do employers look for in an interview? Simply writing a list of soft skills on your resume isn’t enough, anyone can say that they’re friendly, organized, proactive and self-motivated.
Without qualifications to prove or disprove your soft skills it is important to think about the impression you give throughout the recruitment process.
Being punctual for interviews, making eye contact and smiling are simple steps you can take to show you are punctual and friendly.
It is also important to give examples during the interview, of times when you have demonstrated specific soft skills. You can prepare before an interview instead if having to do it on-the-spot.
You’re probably aware of the advice to include some numbers on your CV to quantify your experience. You can use that for soft skills as well. Instead of saying that you have strong communication skills, you can use facts and figures to demonstrate – not just tell – that you’re an effective communicator. Here is an example of how you can demonstrate it on your resume:
“Managed strict project timelines successfully by coordinating virtual meetings across 4 time zones and presenting findings to over 70 colleagues via Zoom conferences.”
Before an interview, think about the soft-skills of the job, and then think of examples when you’ve shown these abilities. Building a professional looking resume using an online resume maker is a great starting point.
Interview questions give you the chance to shine and show-off your strengths abilities, be prepared and make sure you do!
