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6 KEY ATTRIBUTES INTERVIEWERS LOOK FOR

The Perfect Candidate

Ever wonder why some of the most qualified people don’t get job offers? The answer is that it doesn’t matter if you’re the perfect candidate if you don’t show the interviewer want they want. The purpose of an interview is for the interviewer to identify a candidate that has the key desired qualifications and attributes. It sounds intuitive, but too frequently do candidates waste time talking about themselves using attributes they think are important. Make it easy for an interviewer to see that you have what they want.

The Interview Tragedy

The most obvious way to know what the interviewer wants is to… wait for it… read the job description! Please, don’t fall into the trap of reading the title, skimming the requirements, applying, and never returning back to the job posting. As far as qualifications go, it’s no secret what you need to succeed in the position. So, don’t make it a secret to the interviewer that you hold those qualifications.

The Established Attributes

As opposed to the more concrete skills you have, the interviewer is also looking for certain attributes in a candidate. Employers are known for seeking out the qualities below in all of their employees. It’s a great standard to follow when making an impression on any potential employer.

  • Leading Change
  • Embrace and cherish competition
  • Reach for discontinuity
  • Be passionate about achieving
  • Have an energy to deliver
  • Deliver as a way of life (we deliver what we promise)
  • Keep things simple
  • Act quickly and decisively
  • Act with integrity
  • Leading People
  • Coach people beyond what they believe possible and give them freedom to act
  • Ensure freedom of information
  • Hold themselves and others accountable
  • Demand, share & reward success
  • Generate optimism through customer-focused vision
  • Make tough calls
  • Build only the best teams and develop leaders
  • Treat people with dignity and fairness
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The Big 6 Interview Keys

The 16 qualities above can be categorized and demonstrated as follows. If you prepare clear examples of how you’ve shown each quality, you will check off almost everything on the list :

  1. Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.

  2. Driving for Results: Setting high goals for personal and group accomplishment; using measurement methods to monitor progress toward goals; tenaciously working to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous improvement.

  3. Innovation: Generating innovative solutions in work situations; trying different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.

  4. Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers’ and own organization’s needs.

  5. Coaching: Providing timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem.

  6. Building Trusting Relationships: Using appropriate interpersonal styles to establish effective relationships with customers and internal partners; interacting with others in a way that promotes openness and trust and gives them confidence in one’s intentions.