If you’re considering taking your career in a new direction in 2023, you aren’t alone. In fact, 65% of American workers are actively searching for a new full-time job. There are many reasons for this shift. For example, employees may be:
- Looking to develop a better work/life balance.
- Seeking out challenges that allow for personal or professional growth.
- Looking to change careers entirely.
- Seeking a higher salary or better employee benefits.
No matter which category you fall into, it’s crucial that you’re able to impress at every stage of the application process. This way, you can ensure that your interview results in a job offer, not a rejection.
One of the easiest ways to succeed when job-hunting is to understand what employers are actually looking for. A good employee is more than somebody who fills the job description; they’re an asset to the company and can drive success in more ways than one. As such, while every job is different, employers often look for comparable skills and attributes across the board.
With that in mind, here are some of the top qualities and skills employers are looking for in 2023 (and beyond).
Resilience.
When you understand the true meaning of resilience, it’s easy to see why it is such a good selling point for potential employees. After all, by demonstrating your resilience, you are showing that you can respond proactively to any problems or setbacks you encounter instead of letting them consume you. In industries that have been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic, this drive and resilience is a particularly attractive quality, as your work will help businesses recover from the ongoing problems caused by COVID-19.
You can demonstrate resilience by discussing when you dealt with repeated setbacks and how you continued to push forward.
Active Listening.
Good communication is the foundation of a successful team. This is because it can “promote a feeling of being valued or heard or create a feeling of trust, strengthening working relationships.” Similarly, this can also improve the customer experience, as they feel they are being respected when interacting with staff.
You can demonstrate active listening at every stage in the interview because it is showcased in the way you communicate with those around you. Pay close attention to what the hiring manager is saying, and ask questions where appropriate.
Leadership.
Whether you’re applying for a managerial position or a more junior role, showcasing some basic leadership skills is a great way to appear more employable. This is because it shows that you can pivot others toward success for the good of your company. If this is a skill you struggle with, don’t worry. A recent study has found that “only 10% of people are natural leaders — another 20% show some qualities of basic managerial talent that can be cultivated into high-quality leadership.” Thankfully, taking a leadership course can set you on the right track.
You can demonstrate leadership skills by referring back to times you’ve taken on leadership roles previously and your experiences within this.
Agency.
Agency within the workplace is undoubtedly the of the most employable skills in your wheelhouse. After all, when you are self-driven, you’re reducing the need for more senior staff to guide you through the day, which means you can “lift up the team’s performance and allow management and team members to direct their attention to where it is needed the most.” It can also be beneficial when working towards set goals, such as sales are customer acquisition targets.
You can demonstrate agency by talking about the ways in which you have been self-sufficient in work in the past without needing too much guidance from superiors.
Creative Thinking.
Many people mistakenly believe that creativity is not welcome in the modern workplace, especially as many of the procedures we follow when entering a new position are pre-defined. However, this does not mean they should be set in stone – especially if they’re no longer benefiting the company. As such, being a creative thinker means you can drive innovation within your workplace, allowing the company to stay ahead of its competitors. Furthermore, “creative thinking involves seeing the potential in a situation, rather than just a big problem,” which can again come in handy.
You can demonstrate creative thinking by discussing the ways in which you have used your creative skills in the workplace to solve problems or make necessary improvements.
Confidence.
According to a recent study, 97% of Jobseekers agree confidence is a critical skill, whether they are using this to get in the room, to begin with, or negotiate a salary after receiving a job offer. However, there’s no denying that it’s also an incredibly attractive trait from an employer’s perspective, especially for customer-facing positions. After all, a confident employee will likely increase sales, whether they’re pitching products to investors or speaking directly to customers.
Confidence can sometimes be hard to demonstrate in an interview, as you’re likely to be a little bit nervous. However, be sure that you speak at length about your achievements without selling yourself short.
Many entrepreneurs would agree that learning from personal mistakes is a path to success because it provides you with guidance on what not to do and also encourages you to become more proactive. As such, humility, or the ability to admit when you have made a mistake, as opposed to trying to cover it up. This trait is particularly desired when hiring team leaders and managers, as “humble leaders focus more on giving credit to their employees, absenteeism and turnover among employees tends to be much lower.“
You can demonstrate humility in various different ways. For example, if you’re asked about your greatest weakness, don’t try to brush over the question by saying something like, “I work too hard.” Instead, be honest about skills you are looking to further refine or develop, and discuss the steps you are taking to remedy this. For example, if you’re weakness is time management, you could discuss how you are working to be more efficient with your time. This shows great humility, alongside a desire to learn and grow.
