There are many things that an employer will ask you in an interview or that an application form will ask you for when applying for a job but what your personal skills/traits are can mean the difference between an employable person and an unemployable one. These traits are aspects of your professional personality that are relevant to your abilities to work efficiently and professionally. This article will look at some of the top traits you might want to incorporate into your professional identity to help you get a job.
1. Punctuality
Punctuality is extremely important to employers as it shows that you are reliable. This trait should not only be included in your C.V and application but shown through action; for example arriving early to your interview. Employers want to know, first and foremost, that you are an employee that they can rely on to be at work on time and that you will meet all deadlines.
2. Organisational Skills
This is more to do with your abilities to organise your workload and projects as well as your work space. This means having not only an organised desk but showing that you can keep on top of all projects efficiently by approaching them in a manner that is logical and efficient. To an employer, your organisational skills show that you are accountable for your own actions and can plan accordingly.
3. Adaptability
Having the ability to adapt to any situation is important especially for dynamic workplaces and industries such as media or sales. Showing an employer that you have the ability to adapt in unexpected circumstances shows them that they can rely on you in a crisis situation. This can be shown practically in an interview scenario if the employer asks you an unexpected question or even if they ask you directly for an example of your adaptability. It is therefore important to have a story prepared of a time when you helped solve a problem under pressure.
4. Self Starter
Your potential employer wants to know that you will be able to act independantly and work on projects on your own, especially if you are entering in to a business at a managerial level. If the position offers training, they will want to know that once trained you will be able to work without help from senior staff members and have your own ideas and projects that will benefit the company.
5. Team Player
While the ability to work independantly is important, you must also show that you can act as a team player when the situation calls for it. If you are working within a sales team, for example, the employer will want to know that you have the relevant people skills to work with other members of staff. Remember that they have already hired those staff members and it is you that will need to fit in to the team.
6. Taking Initiative
Similar to being adaptable, the ability to take initiative is important because it shows that you can act unprompted when the situation calls for it in a way that will benefit the company. You will need to show that you have your own creative and innovative ideas for the company, without creating major changes to the core business model. You need to show that your initiative is going to benefit the company in a way that they might think of themselves.
7. Confident
Confidence is key. This can of course be shown in an interview environment. Even if you have to ‘fake it til you make it’, being confident is very important to an employer because they need to know that you believe in the decisions you make and in your own abilities.
8. Level-headed
Being level-headed is important because you need to be able to show that not only can you stay calm and adaptable in a crisis situation, you are also able to stay unbiased and professional in your day-to-day work. Showing your employer that you maintain a completely professional attitude at all times will greatly improve your image as an employable candidate.
9. Willing to Learn
Even the biggest professionals stay humble and don’t let their own arrogance fool them into thinking they know everything. Show your employer that you are willing to learn through taking courses, accepting training when offered and constantly improving your skills.
10. Polite, Friendly & Well Mannered
Of course this is an obvious trait but one that people often forget about. Especially when applying for roles involving customer service, an employee needs to be approachable and friendly at all times. This should come across in your attitude during your interview. No one wants to employ a rude or arrogant candidate, so always remember to stay humble and polite when meeting your potential employer.
Personal skills will always vary from person to person and it can be difficult to adapt your professional personality to these skills at times. However, if you can find a way to create a professional persona that matches most of these skills you may find that you have more success with interviews and applications. Adapt your C.V to include most of these traits and try practicing your interviewing at home. As always, good luck!
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