Skills and Attributes Most Wanted When Applying For a Job

Over the years a lot of research has been put into searching what employers are actually seeking when applying for a job and from the results the research gather lists of skills and attributes appear of what they want.

These Lists normally include:

• Excellent Listening and Communication Skills 

• Good Time Management Skills

• Clear Analytical Mind

• Capable of Working Independently and in a Team

• Experience within IT Skills and other Subjects needed

These skills and attributes are ‘common’, which means they are more than likely to be included in the basic requirements for employment. The way common skills are demonstrated all depends on the job you apply for, for example, many jobs require communication skills, but jobs such as field sales, teaching etc. anything to do with explaining will need communication skills at a higher level rather than the basics.

After asking a few people relevant questions about what they think are good personal attributes I got answers back like ‘It’s always important to use your initiative’ and ‘A bit of experience in the area you are looking into’ the reason why experience is important is because it gives you more of a chance to get a job than someone who has no experience in the area.

Other questions that I asked were about what skills they need and the answers that I got occurred a lot, such as “The ability to self-motivate” and “Good communication skills”. One of the questionnaires that I gave out was to a manager of a project so therefore he had the responsibility in employing people so he answered what he looks for in an employee and the answers were again fairly similar to the ones above.

One of the main topics that came across quite a bit when discussing the questionnaires was Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, I was told that it was taken very seriously because if something happens and health and safety isn’t a regulation in the business then it can fall apart and people can get hurt. So one of the first things they do when starting a job is an induction and training and the reasons for this is so they know where all there fire exits are and who their first aider and fire marshal is. This is just a standard procedure that is followed in every job but it is the first task that you are first given so it’s a good idea to follow the instructions given.

Lastly the last point that was made to me when applying for a job was it always helps knowing a bit about the industry that you are going into. This is helpful because it can sometimes pick you out from the crowd it shows that you are interested to learn and gives off a good impression to the employer. Also being motivated helps too, the reason for that is if you are struggling with the work you are given you need to be able to motivate yourself to finish and carry on with the project. Having a clear analytical mind helps too because it helps you to see tasks through to completion, which would put you in a good position when applying for a job.

In total, I think all these skills and attributes I have listed make you a good candidate for winning the job position.