What Employers Want: How to Nail Your Job Interview

It is important to know what employers look for during the application/interview process but when you're on the outside looking in, it may be difficult understand what qualities and attributes will set you apart in an ever-tightening job market.

Though the information varies depending on from which sources you gather it, the following attributes score consistently higher in level of importance on survey responses than other skills that might have traditionally been thought more applicable.

1. A Good First Impression

2. Ability to Communicate Well

3. Interpersonal Skills

First Impressions

How long do you have to make that good impression? A minute? Two? Would you believe that it is only seven seconds?

The majority of the psychological and sociological research done in the arena of human interaction indicates that in just seven to thirty-seconds one person will form a solid, change-resistant opinion of another, according to David Saxby, president of Measure-X, an Arizona based measurement, training and recognition company. The information that shapes that opinion is multisensory, however, as human beings we are hard-wired to depend more heavily upon visual input by default.

What does this mean in regards to landing a job? Simply put: appearance matters.

There's no other single criterion more important when forming a good first impression than appearance. It's important to keep in mind that the key to using appearance as a tool to aid you in a job search rather than one a potential employer may use to single you out in an unfavorable fashion is to ensure that your appearance is appropriate in regards to the individual work environment to which you are applying. What may be acceptable for one job, might not always work in another setting. In an office where the dress code is conservative, a two piece suit is appropriate, whereas in a more casual setting a pair of khakis and a button-down may work just fine. Ask if you are in doubt, and remember that it's always better to err on the side of caution.

But appearance isn't just about the clothes we wear. Posture, hygiene, facial expressions, hair style, body language, and many more non-verbal cues all play pivotal roles in making us appear open, approachable, confident, and capable. According to Mindtools.com, an online skills trainer for those looking to improve their own marketability, the easiest way to exude confidence is to stand tall, smile, and make eye contact. Heard that a hundred times before? Maybe, but it works.

Just how powerful is that first impression? It's more important than you might think. When asked, Beverly Snow, a retail industry professional with ten years of management experience, said that a potential employees technical job skills are " . . . not as important as their personality." Skills, she reiterates, can be taught once the person is hired, but personality traits cannot. She even admits that, on occasion, she has hired someone less technically qualified for the job over other applicants if she felt that person would fit better within the established work environment.

Keep in mind that first impressions are powerful. If an employer doesn't have a job currently available that he or she feels someone is right for, and you've made a good impression, they might just remember you when one comes up.

Communication Skills

You may be technically proficient in your chosen trade but will you be successful without the ability to adequately express yourself?

Rana Sinha, a cross-cultural trainer and expert author, asserts that: "you can be very brilliant and have tons of skills but if you cannot communicate well, your chances of getting employed or promoted decrease significantly."

We all think we know how to communicate. We do it every day, right? Not exactly.

The type of communication employers hope to find within their pool of employees is succinct, task oriented, and clearly understandable.

The best way to get noticed is to sell yourself as if you were a commodity. Don't wait for your resume to do the talking for you; make your true value known. Be precise about just what you bring to the company. Do you have any sought-after or potentially rare skills? Maybe your experience is in a different field. How can you apply it to your current situation? Also, explain what you hope to gain, or learn from your time with the company if hired. Most solid employers foster the growth of their employees and see it as a value-added equation. If you are eager to learn new skills, provide more efficiency, and genuinely care about the welfare of the company as a whole, you are more likely to be hired.

And not all of that communication is verbal.

With industry's increasingly global world view, and dependence on telecommuting and telecommunications in general, more information is being passed by written word than ever before. Hone your writing ability along with your speaking to maximize your value. This may include learning industry-specific lingo, the operations of unfamiliar software, or computer systems. Skills can always be acquired and the more you possess the more attractive a prospect you become.

Interpersonal Skills

It may be difficult to glean a person's interpersonal abilities from a short meeting or interview but chances are the potential employees your meeting with have found a way around that. More often these days than in the past, you'll find a specific sort of question on job applications or tucked neatly between "normal" questions within an interview. These questions are designed to spotlight what you have done in specific instances in the past and highlight your ability (or lack thereof) to relate to others in the workplace, whether they are coworkers or consumers. Some examples are:
• Have you ever disagreed with a manger or supervisor? Did you take steps to make your opinion known? If so, what did you do?
• Citing an actual negative customer service or employ relations incident, what steps did you take to rectify the situation? Would you have done anything different?
• Please list three goals you set for yourself in your last position and the steps you took to accomplish them.

In preparation for your interview, think about how you might answer question such as these, keeping in mind that the company is looking for employees who work well together and are willing to put aside personal differences for the betterment of the whole.

In general, these types of questions serve as a litmus test of the applicant's ability to cohere with coworkers but don't forget to let your own individuality and personality shine through -- it's what sets you apart from rest in the pool of job hunters.

If you feel that your interpersonal skills aren't what they should be, that's okay. There is a world of information out there that will help you to hone your skills. A quick search on Amazon.com provided over two thousand books whose specific goal is to help you do just that. If you learn better with a teacher, take public speaking classes or workshops, or maybe an analytical writing course at the local university outlet is what you need. In addition, websites like mindtools.com and even job search websites such as monster.com are filled with articles written by professionals in the field of interpersonal communication designed to be used by those looking to better themselves.

Summary

To condense all of the qualities and attributes employers hope to find within the applicants into one word is difficult but, in short, it distills down to confidence. Be confident in your abilities and your personal value (if you're not, take the initiative to identify opportunities for personal growth and act upon them.) Express that confidence by making a good first impression through appropriate appearance, well spoken words, and approachable body language.

The interviewing process can be stressful but don't forget to let your personality shine through.