What Every Employer Assesses for When They Hire

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

What does a company want to find out about you when they interview you? What are they trying to find out when they evaluate and assess you? In most cases, hiring staff or temporary workers starts out with a job description. Someone sat down and consciously thought of what skills and experience they needed on their staff.

Competence

Can you do the job and deliver results? Companies want to know you have the right skills, education, and experience to succeed in the role. Be prepared to discuss specifics from your background that make you qualified. Show mastery of the required abilities and highlight relevant accomplishments from past jobs. Competence builds confidence you’ll perform well once hired.

Most firms hopefully start off by assessing for competence. I say “hopefully” because so many people report that they work with incompetent colleagues. Hopefully, an employer has developed a series of questions that help them evaluate and assess skills competency for the skills that are needed.

But skills competency is only one element of what a company is evaluating. The rest all fall into the category of soft skills — hard to assess for qualities that differentiate one person from another.

I’ve seen time and again the traits and qualities hiring managers and recruiters look for in people beyond just skills and experience. While competence in your field is crucial, it’s not the only thing companies evaluate when deciding whom to hire. Here are 7 key things every company assesses when bringing on new talent.

Self-Confidence

Along with skills, employers look for self-assurance. They want people who believe in their abilities and will take initiative. Exude confidence when interviewing, even if you have to fake it a bit. Speak with conviction about handling responsibilities required in the position. It’s fine to acknowledge areas you still need to develop, but emphasize strengths. Self-confidence indicates you won’t need excessive hand-holding to reach goals.

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