Job seeking is intimidating. How do you know exactly what a company is looking for and what to highlight on your CV and in your interviews? There are thankfully some universal traits that all hiring professionals are looking for. Here are 7 that every recruiter is looking to hire.
1. Perseverance
Recruitment is an expensive process and hiring a new employee is always a risk. There are easy times and busy times in every business. The Recruiter or Hiring Manager wants to know when they hire you that you aren’t going to leave as soon as it gets tough. Are you able to stick it out through the high-pressure times as well as the quieter times?
2. Positivity
No one wants to work with someone negative. The company has targets and goals and needs to be able to motivate everyone to push in the same direction. That’s why when a company is looking to hire, they’re usually looking for people who are naturally positive. There are many skills you can learn on the job, but it’s very difficult to teach someone to have an optimistic outlook. If you can develop and display a positive attitude, hiring professionals are more likely to think of you when it comes to making hiring decisions.
3. Drive
Businesses want to grow and a key part of that is having employees who want to grow too. Do you have a plan for where you want to be in the future? Are you constantly honing and acquiring skills that will help you achieve this? Are you pushing to reach the next stage of your career? These are all extremely useful traits for a company’s employees to have. It means that you are able to self-motivate. The more a company’s staff can motivate themselves, the less time the company has to spend on it, allowing them to focus on other aspects of the business. Highlighting your drive on your CV and in your interviews will make you a quality candidate.
4. Curiosity
Have you thoroughly researched the company you’re applying to? Do you have well thought-out questions for your interviewer regarding what the company is like? Have you looked into the ins and outs of the industry the company belongs to? These are all things that show that you are curious and will continue trying to learn and grow even after you are hired.
5. Teachablity
Are you able to take instruction well? Are you able to adapt to new systems and processes? Do you show humility when receiving criticism and praise? Companies are looking to hire employees that are going to be able to change with the company. No business stays the same forever. It’s impossible to in a world that’s changing so quickly. Hiring professionals want to be sure that, when necessary, you’re able to roll with the changes and learn what needs to be learned.
6. Reliability
When hiring professionals are considering you for a role, they want to be sure that you will deliver on what you have put on your CV. Do you get back to your Recruiter quickly when they need info from you? Do you make sure that you are on time and well-prepared for your interviews? These are all things that show you are reliable, a key trait for any company.
7. Honesty
To the best of your knowledge is all the info on your CV accurate? Are you honest about your ability to handle the role? Do you answer truthfully when asked about your previous roles? A company can’t hire someone they don’t trust. That’s why they carry out background checks and interview so many different people. They want to be sure that the person they are hiring is going to be an asset to the company, not a hindrance. Always be transparent on your CV and in your interviews. It will set you up for success not only for the roles you apply for now, but also the ones you’ll apply for in the future.
In conclusion:
While there are many different qualities that hiring professionals look for to varying degrees, these rarely change. Treat these as the foundation of your job-seeking approach and you will be a candidate to watch.
Good luck!
