Let’s not beat around the bush — searching for a new job is tough. Between filling out the same information about your work history dozens of times in a row, searching up company reviews to make sure it’s a good fit, wandering around hashtags to see if you stumble on a gem, and the long list of general stresses that come along with the interview process…it’s easy to assume that actively hunting for a new role or career isn’t the most fun the average person can have. It’s extremely rare for the perfect company to come knocking on your digital door. Most of the time for most people, the job search can be a tedious process full of hurdles.
In our online coding and data analytics bootcamp, graduates of particular courses we offer get the ability to work closely alongside our Career Services team. This team’s main goal is to make sure you are best equipped for the job search with our deep understanding of what it takes to land the role you dreamt of. In this blog, we will take our expert knowledge of the space and will be breaking down five major qualities that employers look for in every candidate.
The Job Market (And Why It Matters)
Before we continue with the list of five things you should have as a jobseeker, let’s take a step back and discuss why they actually matter.
The job market today is unlike anything the country has experienced for many years, if not ever. Regardless of the job industry or role, it has become increasingly challenging to not only land a new role, but to even get a call back to set up an interview. You don’t need to search long online to stumble on the countless stories people have and the patience they have had to practice while waiting to get that callback. This isn’t only affecting entry level positions. It’s affecting everyone.
And when we say “everyone,” we aren’t just referencing the jobseekers. Human Resource departments are put in situations where a job listing can be live for an hour and have upwards to thousands of applications. Although it’s up for discussion on exact numbers with plenty of factors to consider, the standard HR to employee ratio is generally 1.4 HR staff member for every 100 employees, according to a recent Indeed article on the topic. Which means that a single person can often times be responsible to post the role online, sort through potentially thousands of applications, setup each interview time, conduct the interview, work through the negotiation stages, and assist with the onboarding. On top of keeping up with their regular responsibilities, as well. That can become overwhelming for just about anyone easily. In the job market today, it’s become standard practice.
The importance of having a well-crafted cover letter and resume is a driving factor to a callback. But with today’s often intense market, standing out as much as you can during the entire process is an absolute must. Which is exactly why we want to share our expert insight into these five ways to better your chances.
The Top Five Qualities Employers Want in Jobseekers
1. Strong Communication Skills
The famous saying, “letting your work speak for itself,” may be inspiring. But not very good advice whenever team members and team leaders depend on communication.
Having strong communication skills leads everyone on teams to the highest success in most cases. In large companies, a single project may go through forty hands before it’s out of the initial planning stages. Whenever cross team collaboration is engrained in your role’s daily routine, it’s easy for your communication skills to become a valuable asset. Open communication and easy to follow documentation allow each team to take every step together confidentially. This not only creates a strong trusting companionship amongst the company and departments, but it helps the final goal and product, as well.
Even if you don’t hold a role in a large company that experiences multiple department collaborative efforts, strong communication should still be a priority. A team that are all working with the exact number of insights, allows for opportunities of success more often. That can be in the form of keeping concise documentation of each adjustment made during a product’s production life or making sure your team is best prepared for another Black Friday door buster sale at the electronic store you manage. Across all industries and all job roles, communication skills are a must — and for good reason.
2. Reliability
Being a reliable employee is a professional superpower. If your manager is able to confidently depend on you without doubts, then you are likely viewed as a great employee and teammate. Not only is that a rewarding feeling as the employee, it also adds a level of trust that may be tough to find in some cases.
Ways you can be a reliable employee and teammate:
- Show up to work when you are scheduled and expected
- Consistently meet deadlines and goals
- Open and strong communication (See above)
- Maintain quality in the work you do
- Offer assistance whenever you can to help teammates and demands
3. Commitment
The commitment you have to your company can easily be reflected in your day-to-day interactions and the direct work you do. Having a sense of pride and loyalty in what you do professionally may not be as common as some may assume. Which is exactly why this quality made our list of must-haves for jobseekers.
Employers can find excitement and enjoyment in seeing a top performing employee show dedication and commitment in the work they accomplish. Having someone with an impressive skillset they flex every day is one thing. But showing the loyalty they have for the company, their role, the product, and hopefulness in professional growth creates an impressive bundle of qualities that stand out with ease.
4. Comfort in Flexibility
Regardless of the industry, the unexpected is always lurking around the corner for businesses. Finding an employee who finds comfort in those unplanned scenarios is a huge win. Being flexible with what you work on combined with the talent of swapping out your daily priorities quickly to shift focus, all while maintaining a constant steadiness to your demeanor, shines a light on your talents and can lead to other opportunities you may be aiming for. Your employer wants to know they made the right pick by going with you. If you are running into the (hypothetical) storms compared to running the opposite way, it proves you have the talent to tackle tough unexpected challenges. That level of comfort in flexibility is rare and most of all…impressive.
5. The Ability to Get the Job Done
Out of the previous four tips, this one likely comes across as painfully obvious. But it’s worth mentioning because it’s absolutely one of the biggest reasons someone would be hired versus the other candidates up for the same role.
Having the correct skills you need to successfully be a valuable employee helps set up a winning formula long-term. It separates you and defines you during your time with the company and when it comes down to it, one of the number one reasons you are likely being paid to do that role’s job duties. If you are lacking in skill, then it will always overshadow your communication, reliability, commitment, and flexibility. But when you do bring an impressive skillset with you mixed in with the other soft skills, then you will surely be recognized during the interview process and especially in your day-to-day work with the company. Which makes your ability to get the job done one of the most important focal points for any employer.
At devCodeCamp, we take excited individuals who are wanting the soft and hard skills needed to launch their careers in coding and data, and help pave the way towards accomplishing their goals in as short as a handful of weeks. Starting on day one, our online students begin to mold into impressive developers and analysts through our course material built in-house from the ground up and constantly updated to stay the most relevant. Our graduates can be found inside of massive tech companies such as Amazon, HubSpot, Deloitte, IBM, Rocket Mortgage, JPMorgan Chase, plus many more. Standing out during the job interview and having the ability to shine whenever you start your role takes a unique set of skills. If you are wanting to launch your career in code or data, or if you are ready to sharpen your current skillsets, reach out today to see the options we have available to you. Life is too short to hate your job. Why wait?