Connecting with Employers
Think about what both the employer and you want in an employment situation.
Knowing What Employers Want
A recent survey by the American Management Association found that employers first of all want someone who has the right skills and experience to do a given job. Beyond that, they value these abilities and traits in an employee:
- Critical thinking—researching, analyzing, evaluating, improving
- Creative thinking—innovating, problem solving, improvising
- Communication—listening, speaking, reading, and writing
- Collaboration—planning, cooperating, meeting, relating
- Professionalism—being confident, capable, ethical, committed, and loyal
- Dependability—working hard, keeping regular hours, meeting deadlines
- Productivity—managing time, producing results, meeting standards
- Flexibility—adapting, prioritizing, multitasking, learning, taking risks
- Integrity—being fair, telling the truth, giving credit, taking blame
- Passion—being positive, motivated, energetic, and self-starting
- Technology literacy—using computers, software, systems, and the Web
- Leadership—goal setting, planning, organizing, delegating, motivating
Your Turn Rate yourself for each trait above on a scale of 1 (none) to 5 (total). Which are your strongest traits? Pick two areas in which you would like to improve, and write down one way to do that for each.
Knowing What You Want
As an employee, you want to be paid for working; but beyond salary, there are several advantages and circumstances to consider when looking for a job.
- Compensation—being paid fairly, getting strong benefits, feeling valued
- Security—feeling safe, assured of continuing employment, belonging
- Environment—having a pleasant, healthful, efficient work space
- Mission—believing in the company’s goals, sharing a common vision
- Quality—taking pride in the work, accomplishing great things
- Challenge—engaging, problem solving, achieving, overcoming
- Learning—growing, expanding, developing, improving, moving forward
- Opportunity—taking on new responsibilities, getting promotions
- Collaboration—working with others, being part of a team, contributing
- Support—getting help from colleagues, managers, and administrators
- Flexibility—being able to balance work and a personal life
- Fun—enjoying work, having friends in the workplace, being happy
Your Turn Rate each item above on a scale of 1 (unimportant) to 5 (vital). Which items are vital to you? Which are less important?