December graduates face a bleak job market. The economic downturn creates a hiring environment that is at best flat and at worst shrinking. Uncertainty abounds.
December graduates, like all working professionals, must demonstrate competence in their chosen profession to get and keep good jobs. For graduates, this means a high GPA, hands-on experience from internships, and some solid leadership training through relevant organizational memberships.
That’s what positions you for hiring consideration, but what closes the deal? According to JobWeb, employers look for certain qualities above and beyond GPA, etc. Employers rank the importance of those skills/qualities as follows:
- Communication skills
- Strong work ethic
- Teamwork skills (works well with others)
- Initiative
- Analytical skills
- Computer skills
- Flexibility/adaptability
- Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
- Problem-solving skills
- Technical skills (JobWeb, 2008)
Happy Birthday, Professor! A cause for us all to celebrate!
Great advice, Les, but I’d be letting you down if I didn’t write about personal branding.
The job seeker must understand, embrace and communicate their personal brand, and be able to listen well enough during an interview to align their personal brand characteristics with the desirable characteristics so the hiring decision maker says “Yes! You’re the person for this job!”
On the other hand, being confident in your personal brand will also allow you to discover when a particular job is NOT the job for you.
- Mark True, brand warrior