Employability Skills and Personality Traits

Employer seek
 Critical employability skills that employers demand
form job-seekers

• Communication skills (listening, verbal,

written) – ability to listen, speak and write
effectively
• Analytical/ Research Skills – ability to assess a
situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather
more information (if necessary), & identify key
issues that need to be addressed
 Critical employability skills that employers demand
form job-seekers

• Computer / Technical Literacy – ability to

understand basic computer hardware &
software, esp word processing, spreadsheets,
and email
• Flexibility / Adaptability/Managing Multiple
Priorities – ability to manage multiple
assignments and tasks, set priorities, and adapt
to changing conditions and work assignments
 Critical employability skills that employers demand
form job-seekers

• Interpersonal Abilities – ability to relate to

your co-workers, inspire others to participate,
and mitigate conflict with co-workers given the
amount of time spent at work each day

• Teamwork skill – ability to work with others

professionally while attempting to achieve a
common goal
 Critical employability skills that employers demand
form job-seekers
• Leadership / Management Skills – ability to
lead a group or take charge and manage your
co-workers esp when there are group tasks

• Multicultural Sensitivity/ Awareness – ability

to demonstrate a sensitivity and awareness to
other people and cultures, considering the
diversity
 Critical employability skills that employers demand
form job-seekers
• Planning / Organizing – ability to design, plan,
set goals, organize, and implement projects
and tasks within an allotted timeframe

• Problem-solving/Reasoning/Creativity –
ability to find solutions to problems using your
creativity, logical reasoning, & past experiences
along with available information and resources
Personality Traits and Personal
Characteristics
 10 Most Important Personal Values Employers Seek

• Honesty/Integrity/Morality – employers
respect personal integrity more than any other
value, esp in the light of many corporate
scandals
• Adaptability/Flexibility – openness to new
ideas and concepts, to working independently
or as part of a team, and to carrying out
multiple tasks or projects
 10 Most Important Personal Values Employers Seek

• Dedication / Hard-working/ Work

Ethics/Tenacity – love for what you do and will
keep at it until you solve the problem and get
the job done

• Loyalty – strong devotion to the company –

even at times when the company is not
necessarily loyal to its employees
 10 Most Important Personal Values Employers Seek
(personality traits and personal characteristics)
• Dependability/Reliability/Responsibility –
employers desire for employees who arrive to
work every day – on time – and ready to work,
and who will take the responsibility for their
actions
• Positive Attitude/ Motivation/Energy/Passion
– demonstration of enthusiasm through their
words and actions (employees who get
promoted with drive and passion)
 10 Most Important Personal Values Employers Seek
(personality traits and personal characteristics)
• Professionalism – deals with acting
responsively & fairly in all your personal &
work activities, which is seen as a sign of
maturity & self-confidence and avoid being
petty
• Self-Confidence – your belief in your own
unique mix of skills, education, and abilities
and what you can offer your employer
 10 Most Important Personal Values Employers Seek
(personality traits and personal characteristics)

• Self-Motivated/Ability to Work with Little or

No Supervision – your ability to excel when
working independently with minimal
supervision
• Willingness to Learn – constant openness to
willingly learn new skills or technique in order
to grow and learn with / from that change,
despite age and amount of experience and
education
INTERVIEW MATTERS
 25 Things to Avoid in an Interview
1. Poor personal appearance
2. Lack of interest and enthusiasm; passive &
indifferent
3. Over-emphasis on money
4. Criticism of past employer
5. Poor eye contact with interviewer
6. Late to the interview
7. Failure to express appreciation for interviewer’s time
8. Asks no questions about the job and the company
 25 Things to Avoid in an Interview
9. Unwillingness to relocate
10.Indefinite answer to questions

11. Overbearing, aggressive, conceited with “know-it-all”

complex
12. Inability to express self clearly; poor voice, poor diction,
poor grammar

13. Lack of planning for career, no purpose or goals

14. Lack of confidence and poise, nervous, uncomfortable

15. Failure to participate in activities

16. Expects too much too soon
 25 Things to Avoid in an Interview

17. Makes excuses, evasive, hedges on unfavorable factors

on record
18. Lack of tact (diplomacy, ability to say or do things w/o
being offensive)
19. Lack of courtesy, ill-mannered
20. Lack of vitality (lively or energetic)
21. Lack of maturity
22. Sloppy application form and employment documents
23. No interest in company
24. Cynical ( pessimistic, belief that people are generally
selfish and dishonest)
25. intolerant, strong prejudices