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Top 6 Qualities to Attract Employers

Imagine now that you are an employer.

You are now looking to hire someone. What are your thoughts and concerns? Let’s list them down.

1. You want someone who can assure you.

2. You want someone who is able to provide value.

3. You want someone who can work with your team.

4. You want someone who can make decisions.

5. You want someone who is able to grow together with the company.

6. You want someone who never gives up.

There are more, but we’ll stop here for the moment.

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1. You want someone who can assure you.

If the employer is ready to pay a monthly salary to someone, then he wants to assure himself that it’s for the right person. He doesn’t want to waste his resources because this is like a long-term investment in a person. A fresh graduate may adjust himself into a certain role and prove himself well over time. This simply means that the employer will simply gauge him over those probation months to see if the process of learning is taking root and that there are some results – for his own assurance. For the very experienced or moderately experienced, there may be a short probationary time or none at all.

In short, here is the verdict: In whichever industry you’re in and at whichever stage of experience you are at, the employer wants to see an acceptable level of results from the fresh graduates, reasonably higher results from the moderately experienced and exceptional results from the experienced/specialist. Results show that the employee has learnt his job, knows what he is doing and is worth retaining. All this gives that level of assurance that he made the right hire.

So when you take up that job from the very first day, be that person who can give those results. Perfection is not what a reasonable employer expects. Just deliver what is expected of you and learn to give more when you see an opportunity.

2. You want someone who is able to provide value.

In a recent conversation with an employer, he related how a staff member was asked to organise a lunch meeting. To this, the staff replied, “That’s not my job”. Dismayed, he quietly asked a junior staff member to do it and it was done immediately with a few phone calls.

So, what do you think the employer thought of this episode? Wasn’t this a small pain point that he wanted to address? After all, ordering lunch for twenty people is not a specialist job. It was a missed opportunity for that staff to create a good impression and show a positive attitude. 

This is what some staff miss or perhaps neglect. It’s the small fiddly things that accumulate and create pains in the long run. Value is not just in the big things but in the small gestures as well.

Instead of saying: “It’s not my job” try responding like this.

  • I would like to help out, would you please direct me to the right contact person in the company.
  • I’m sorry, but I’m not sure how I can help with this.
  • Just a moment. Let me get the right person who does this and I’ll ask them to update you.

A staff who can “be” more is a person who:

  • Has a positive attitude towards others and the company at large.
  • Has the company’s interests at heart and works towards those goals.
  • Shares knowledge and receives constructive criticism with an open mind.
  • Understands the need for personal development, so works towards acquiring skills such as organizational, leadership and creativity.
  • Is an analytical thinker who is able to analyse a given situation or task and roughly predict the outcome as opposed to just following orders. This shows that they are taking some ownership instead of thinking that it’s the company’s task.
  • Is not a fearful staff. Some staff, even experienced ones, are sometimes fearful of what might happen to them if something goes wrong, so they don’t volunteer. Some fresh grads are like fearless warriors, willing to take any challenge, make mistakes and learn.

If you have these basic qualities and mindset, congratulations! You are at a good starting point of being attractive to any employer.

3. You want someone who can work with your team.

Call it either teamwork or pair work. An employer already has some people working for him for some years. It may be that these existing staff are tough to work with, and your life as a new hire became difficult as a result. So because of perhaps one person, you want to quit. Well, maybe quitting will give some peace of mind but anywhere you go, you have to work with different types of people and face other challenges.

It may be that though the other staff is hard to work with, he still is a capable worker, able to move tasks way more difficult than yours. He has a lot more responsibility and has been there longer, thus making him that much more valuable to the employer compared to you. So, staying and learning up the job despite the difficulty tells the employer that you are the type that can work within his existing setup without any problems. Quite simply, if you can’t work with the employer’s people, then you can’t work with him. There are exceptions in this point if it has to do with shady dealings or some harassment, but you know what we mean. We are talking purely about work.

So quite simply, be that person who can work with anyone. You must call forth much patience. More than you ever thought you had and much self-control to survive in today’s work environment

4. You want someone who can make decisions.

Employers can’t be involved in every single thing, so they need a person who can make the best decisions. In addition, a staff who is not working with fear but is able to take responsibility for the results of those decisions is a leader in the making. This is vital if the employer is going to promote that staff.

If you’re a freshie, this may sound intimidating, but let’s analyse this.

  • An employer or immediate superior who asks you for your decision about something serious. He doesn’t have time to play jokes on this matter. So don’t be afraid to tell them your decision.
  • An employer who is too controlling and a micro-manager will never come to a place where he will ask you anything. Even if he does, 90% says he really isn’t serious. We suggest you go with the flow for the time being and put fear where it belongs- under your feet.

5. You want someone who is able to grow together with the company. 

This is beyond just being a culture fit. Some people call this emotional intelligence. A person that is mature in thinking and strong in character is able to mobilise people just by the strength of their character. This is a “stand out” worker. Everyone looks to this person when they have a problem to solve. This staff also easily embodies the company’s values and sometimes exceeds them. 

Have you been feeling that you just don’t quite make the cut yet? Maybe you do but it’s inconsistent, erratic and still in a growing process. Xremo’s counsellors can help identify those strengths and bring them out.

6. You want someone who never gives up.

Maturity brings us to our final point for today. The “can do” and “never give up” attributes are the result of these character traits. Employers need people who won’t abandon their job when tough things happen. People who believe that they can overcome any challenge and not surrender.

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There are more qualities that can be explored, but these are the immediate ones. Any employer will be happy to keep such staff because as is generally known; 

“Good people are hard to come by.”

Are you that valuable staff that’s hard to come by?

In order to help identify your strengths and amplify them, reach out to the counsellors on this site. It may be your best decision yet.