To explain the personal attributes valued by employers we need to look at three keys areas specific attributes, general attributes and attitude. Specific attributes include things such as technical skills and good knowledge of working procedures. General attributes needed are skills such as planning and organisation and communication skills to name a few. Workplace attitudes are also important and you need to be determined, dependable and self-motivated along other important attitudes to be seen as a valuable employee.
Specific Attributes:
One key job-related attributes that are valued by employers are having the right level of technical knowledge. For example were a web designer may need good html, css and javascript skills, a Database Administrator will need excellent technical knowledge of DBA tools relevant to the job. Having the correct training, qualifications and technical knowledge in relation to the job specification is important to show that you have the required attributes that the employer will value for that position.
As well as having the correct level of technical knowledge employers will also value employees that have good knowledge of working procedures. Understanding good working procedures such as health and safety and security shows that you can be trusted to work in a safe and secure manner and not cause any issues for co-workers or your employers. Taking up any opportunities for health and safety based training and becoming more familiar with local government laws is seen as a valued asset to have by employers as you are aware of workplace liability and responsibilities in line with legal requirements. Understanding IT security and have knowledge of working in a safe and secure manner is another skill valued by employers as they will know that you can be trusted to behave in a professional manner when using computers and technology. Understanding the need to keep data safe and secure in line with the Data Protection Act and behaving in an ethical manner when dealing with confidential manner is an attribute that all employers look for in the information age.
General Attributes:
To further explain the personal attributes valued by employers we need to look at general attributes needed in the workplace. Key skills such as planning and organisation are needed to plan your daily work load and manage your time effectively to meet deadlines. Planning and organisation is valued skill that employers look for as it shows that an employee is self-motivated to break things down into manageable tasks and work in a focused and responsible manner. This builds into having effective time management skills were planning means that you as an employee can juggle a number of tasks at the same time whilst still meeting deadlines across a number of projects and individual tasks.
Having excellent communication skills is one of the key attributes valued by employers and this is one of the first thing that employers look for with all job applicants. Verbal skills are important to communicate with colleagues and customers and are essential in building good relationships in business. To support this you will also need good written communication skills to portray a professional image for both yourself and your employer. Written communication needs to be accurate and to the point and one of the key developmental points of written communication is the ability to proof read and make sure that the message that you communicate is understandable and error free.
Nearly every job these days requires your to make calculations on time management or budgets or even do simple calculations on the number of resources required for a specific task. Having good numeracy skills is something that you need for this and most jobs come with a minimum educational requirement for mathematics due to this. If you look at two different jobs as an example, a computer programmer will need to make calculations to ensure their programme works correctly whereas a cashier needs to have good hands on maths skills to count change correctly. Numeracy skills are an essential element of most jobs and will not be overlooked by employers when reviewing candidates for a new position.
Another valuable asset that is valued by employers is having good creativity and being able to come up with creative solutions within the workplace. Obviously this is more relevant to creative jobs such as graphics or web designer but there is scope to be creative in all jobs really. Approaching an employer with a creative idea to enhance and existing work process or product is something that can go a long way to building your professional profile. Creativity is something that comes naturally to some people but everyone has the opportunity to be creative if they are willing to look outside the box.
Attitudes:
The preferred attitudes that are valued by employers could be seen as being determined, independent, tolerant, dependable, confident and self-motivated. Employers also look for people who have integrity and good problem solving and leadership skills. We will look at some examples of my employers value each of these attitudes below.
Determined: Employers values determination as it shows that someone is willing to stick with a task no matter how difficult it becomes. Being determined can also help you get through boring or monotonous tasks that someone else may give up on. Being able to keep at something even it is something that you do not like doing is a valuable skill to have to achieve results.
Independent: Being independent and being able to take ownership of tasks is something that all employers will look for. When hiring more junior members of staff this is even more relevant as employers do not want someone working for them who needs guidance on everything that they do and therefore decrease the productivity of more senior staff when guiding them.
Integrity: Giving your work your all and working in an honest manner making sure that you behave in a professional and ethical manner shows that you respect your employer and want to do things in the right way. It means that you can be trusted and can be given responsibility and this is beneficial to all parties in the long run.
Tolerance: In work you will come across difficult processes and people and will not see eye with everyone. You will need to be tolerant of others people’s needs and always see everyone’s point of view to make sure that you work in a calm and controlled manner. Accept everyone’s needs and understand that the world is made up of many different languages, cultures and beliefs and adapt to treat everyone respectively and you will reap the benefits of seeing things from others perspectives. Working in this way makes you get into a mindset of not needing to be tolerant but always looking to help others.
Dependable: Be dependable and always being seen to be willing to go the extra mile is a valuable personal attribute seen by employers. Sometimes just turning up on time can be seen as dependable but the willingness to adapt and stay late when needed by a manager shows them that they can depend on you to meet deadlines when under pressure to do so.
Leadership: Thing of the best sports teams, you will hear them interviewed and say we had leaders all over the park or the pitch today. Having good leadership skills and working within the hierarchical structure of the business means people at all levels can take a lead role on the specific area that they work in for the greater good of all. This links back to being independent and leading on your own tasks is valued by employers as they will be confident in your ability to train others in your area of skill and it may result in promotion opportunities arising in the future if you can do this on a consistent basis.
Problem Solving: Being able to think about complex problems and come up with quick solutions is another valued skill. Many employers will set problem solving tasks at interview/assessment stage to check how good potential employees are in this areas. Certain job roles such as a programmer require problem solving skills on an hourly basis so that will be heavily emphasised in the job specification.
Confidence: Having a confident approach means that you will look at things in a positive light and be able to get things done even when things get tough. Confidence in your own ability and when communication with colleagues and customers is something that shines through and puts other people at ease with your ability to do the best for them when they are relying on you. Confidence is another key aspect that employer will look at during interviews.
Self-motivation: Another excellent attitude to have in the workplace is the ability to be self-motivated. Someone that is not looking to be lead all the time but rather takes initiative and gets on with things before being asked is someone that will be valued and may work their way up the ladder quickly. Obviously you still need to get approval and work within the boundaries when doing this but just getting on with things and staying motivated means that you have a natural willingness to succeed and this is something that can go a long way in any workplace.
Hopefully that helps explain some of the personal attributes valued by employers and you should always try to think about what employers are actually looking for when applying for a new position. When you are in a job you should naturally try to improve on all of the key skills and attributes described above. In doing this, you will see an improvement in your working relationships and productivity and this should naturally lead to better job satisfaction and perhaps an opportunity for promotion sooner than you think!