编者按:
一个果敢的人会说,“我能做这些事”或“我决定采取如此行动”,而一个较为被动的人则可能说,“这就是我的经历。”所有这些会在一定程度上描绘出一个人的品质。
Qualities Employers Seek
Almost every career requires such skills as listening,speaking,reading,writing,decision making,researching,reasoning,creativity,persuasion,leadership,interpersonal communication,and organization.In addition, a number of characteristics that may be important for specific jobs:achievement,aggressiveness1),ambition,dependability,discipline,honesty,initiative,motivation,people orientation2),persistence,responsibility,self-confidence,self-starting,sensitivity,sincerity,tenacity,and tough-mindedness.
The way you acquire these skills and behaviours is,to a great extent,up to you.Without them,no matter how bright and knowledgeable you may be,landing a t op job is extremely difficult,if not impossible.The most likely way to obtain these skills and behaviours is through courses,reading,internships3),part-time or full time employment,extracurricular activities,and participation in community functions.
Knowing what an employer is looking f or in a potential employee can help an applicant to prepare for an interview.An interviewer for a major corporation was asked these questions:What specific skills are you looking for in applicants?And how do you identify these skills?He responded:
Most important for us in the way of skills is the ability to communicate--can people speak clearly?Can they articulate the kind of person they believe themselves to be?In what kind of work situations do they perform well?What are their strengths and weaknesses?We w ant to know about the personal qualities of the individual,so I try to ask questions to draw them out and attempt to find out if they have a sense of themselves.What I'm looking for is an ability to verbalize4) an idea in clear,simple,understandable language.I'm also looking for the ability to listen attentively and then to be able to respond to5) an idea or thought that has been presented to them.If they do have good communication skills,they will be able to do this logically and succinctly.
I am looking for creativity--can they be spontaneous?I will ask some “off-the-wall6)”questions just to see if this throws them.How do they respond in these tough situations--can they be creative with their answers?This is very important when they are out in business situations with customers.They will have to respond to very sudden changes and problem-solving situations that they are not necessarily familiar with,and I want to know if they can handle them.
What we look for the most are personal qualities--assertiveness,self-motivation,drive,ambition,and a competitive instinct.They should be high achievers and want to work hard.I can usually tell a bout these qualities from the way the person presents himself or herself and some of the activities they have engaged in.I pick up things from the applications and resume--how they have written them and the kinds of things they say.How they present their experiences is often very informative7).For example,an assertive person will say,“I can do these things”and“I decided on this course of action,”whereas a more passive person might say,“These are the experiences I have had.”All of these things describe the person in some way.