Key Characteristics Employers Desire in a Competitive Job Market
The job market around the world remains competitive. This is especially true in specific industries and careers. However, some characteristics go beyond even the education and experience that employers seek. If you want to stand out as a candidate in a competitive job market, these are characteristics you want to develop and display in your CV.
Initiative
Employers want to know that you are proactive when it comes to solving problems and completing assignments. Seek out new approaches to problems and ways to improve workflow and productivity in order to display initiative that benefits the business. What employers do not want is to hire someone that must be micromanaged every hour of the day to remain productive.
Accountability
This is a characteristic that is becoming increasingly rare in the workplace and one that employers greatly appreciate. Rather than simply taking credit for victories that occur within the workplace, it is equally important to take ownership of failures along the way. These failures, while often painful, are excellent learning opportunities to build upon for future successes. Of course, it is also appropriate to take pride in your successes along the way too.
Adaptability
In the past years, adaptability has taken on new importance in the workplace. Employees who were resilient and able to adapt to new demands and learn new skills necessary to work from home during the pandemic and then, afterward, return to greatly changed workspaces were poised for the greatest possible success. They also proved to be a company’s greatest assets at a time when there was so much uncertainty in the world. For this reason, the ability to adapt and overcome has risen in importance in the eyes of employers both locally and globally speaking.
Finally, reliability is another important characteristic of employees today. Employers want to know that they can rely on new employees to get the job done, be part of a larger team, and accomplish the necessary tasks to guarantee greater success for everyone. Develop these characteristics and you’ll be in demand as an employee for years to come.