Traits Employers Want Younger Workers to Have

Traits current employers want younger workers to have

Are you a millennial or young worker and want to know what skills you need to score your first job? Here’s a secret from HR Solutions: It’s not PowerPoint, Excel or Photoshop. A recent survey found that employers care more about “soft skills”—such as integrity, reliability and teamwork—than they do technical abilities like reading comprehension and mathematics. Hard skills can be taught but in today’s job market, employers are more concerned about whether a job candidate has the right attitude and work ethic first.

Here are a few skills that employers say they value most in younger employees—and what younger employees can do during a job interview to show that they posses them.

Dependability/reliability

Nearly every Human Resource professional knows that dependability and reliability are extremely important qualities for potential employees to be considered for key, high level or even entry-level positions. At a minimum, this requires applicants to demonstrate a track record of regular and punctual attendance on some level. When an employer say they want someone they can rely on, it means they want someone dependable and committed. If a potential employee can show an example vs. just saying “I’m dependable” it will always help in the hiring process. If you don’t have a lot of work experience focus on an activity you were in college or a club you’ve been a part of through out life. Any kind of dependability example will be better than none in most cases.

Integrity

Most employers have ranked integrity as one of the most important qualities when vetting entry-level job candidates. Integrity in the work place is defined as treating others with honesty, fairness and respect, as well as demonstrating respect for an employer’s time and property. In addition to being courteous, polite and respectful during the application and interview process, a potential job candidate could also demonstrate integrity by talking about a time when they had to make a tough ethical decision in the workplace or in life. For example, if you worked part-time at a restaurant and saw an employee stealing from the cash register and reported it to your manager, that shows integrity and would be a great example to relay during any interview process.


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