What Employers Want? 

A question that not many people know the answer to, so if you are new to all this (like me), then you might want to know the answer, so you can get a head start to your future. 

The first thing an employer looks at (before he/she even considers you right for the job) is your appearance, you will need to look smart, have a good posture and not look laid back or slouched, this could give the wrong impression to your employer.  

The way you speak will also affect your employers impression about you, proper English is key, employers don’t want to hear you talk in any slang, and might want you to pronounce words correctly. 

For example, if there was too many people who have applied for that particular job and one looks messy laid back and doesn’t speak with correct English, and the other is smart upright and looks eager to work, then who do you think the employer will employ? 

Working well in a team is vital in most jobs; if your job requires a large task to be completed then working well in a team will mean you and your colleagues can work more efficiently to complete the task given. 

However working well in a team might be a good trait but being independent can also have its own benefits (you don’t want to be too dependent on others), so if you can get tasks done on your own by managing your time well and not missing anything, then your employer will be able to trust you and depend on you when he or she needs you. 

Now in this day and age having good technical knowledge is essential; more and more jobs are becoming reliant on computer systems to do or to help with specific jobs, so having good technical knowledge will give you a better understanding on how these systems work, like knowing how to fix the system.  

Having a good knowledge about health and safety is great, as you will be educated about it anyway, so if you already know a lot of the health and safety factors then that will be a benefactor, an employer doesn’t want to be worrying about any risks that may occur so it’s your job to minimize every risk possible whilst in work, performing a task or just wandering around. For example if something has been spilt on the floor such as water or milk then it will be your responsibility to clean it up and put a wet floor sign out, not just to minimize the risk but also to stop any compensation claim that someone might try and get away with. 

If you’re working in a shop for example and you are behind the till or cashing up at the end of the day then having good numerical skills will help. For example you might have to work out someone’s change after they have bought they’re shopping also when you are counting the till at the end then you will have to be good at counting up in different numbers for example ; 10s or 20s or pounds. 

Whilst at work it is quite probable that a problem will occur, so problem solving is a key skill in the workplace, you will be expected to act quickly to solve the problem that has occurred (even if it wasn’t your fault that it did). For example updating drivers for scanners or printers as your operating system might not be compatible, so you will have to make sure you have the right drives installed. 

Being self motivated is great, it shows your employer that you’re eager to work and you will get things done, it doesn’t just benefit your employer though it also benefits your self. 

Being self motivated can also help with tolerance 

being able to tolerate a work colleague could help you through your job, in most jobs there will always be that one guy you can't stand but being able to tolerate him will allow you to look civil and trustworthy.  

Finally Managing your time well is vital in the workplace, there's no point spending 2 hours on a simple non necessary task. sometimes you will have more than one task to do in a set time, so managing your time, or even setting a timetable, so you move on to the next task after a set time even if you don't finish, and always leave a slot at the end to finish anything that you haven't. 

All of these things are what an employer will look at if you get accepted for a job, so if you are good at all, or most of the above then you will have a head start in the working world. 

Josh R-S