Your personality and how you fit into a company’s culture could be even more important than the skills you possess. One survey of employers found the top personality traits they look for when hiring — and some of them are ones interviewers can spot as soon as you walk through the door.
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Forbes cites employer branding firm Universum, which surveys over 400,000 students and professionals about job issues. This is what employers answered regarding the most important traits they seek:
Professionalism (86%), high-energy (78%) and confidence (61%) are the top three traits employers say they are looking for in new hires. Kathy Harris, managing director of Manhattan-based executive search firm Harris Allied says these first-impression traits are the most critical for employers to prepare for as they all can be evaluated by a recruiter or hiring manager within the first 30 seconds of meeting a candidate.
“A manager can read you the moment you walk in the door,” she says; from the clothes you wear to the way you stand to the grip of your first hand-shake, presenting yourself as a confident, energetic professional is about as basic as career advice gets. But don’t be off-put by this commonplace advice. Harris, who specialised in high-level executive placement says even the most seasoned of CEOs can get tripped up by the basics. Universum clients agree: confidence ranks highest on the list of skills companies think employees are missing most.
So before your interview, practice your handshake, strike a confidence-boosting pose, and remember to be a little more like Tigger and less like Eeyore.
Check out the Forbes article for other personality traits that matter to employers.
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