What Employers Want

If you’ve seen the movie “What Woman Want” with Mel Gibson, it’s evident that knowing what someone wants before they tell you can be a very powerful tool.  It can also make men dress in pantyhose and paint their nails, like Mel did in the movie, but that is another blog post entirely….

No, I don’t have the ability to read peoples minds, but I have received some great feedback as I work with college recruiters on what they are looking for from potential candidates.

• Get Involved. Employers want self-motivated people.  They want their hires to be driven and pro-active in whatever arena they are in.  Right now, their candidates are in college, so they want to see them being active in that stage of their lives.  Don’t just go to class…if you are a business major, join your business or entrepreneur club, get involved in any conferences that your business division is putting together and get on the leadership team, do internships, write articles for the school paper, etc..  Show that you can do more then just go to class and get good grades (hopefully you are doing those things already!).

• Show Interest. Yes, they are recruiting you as a potential employee, but you should also be recruiting them by proving you could be a valuable asset to their team.  Show up to their career fair booth.  Keep in contact with them through social media (Zumeo, Twitter, Facebook, etc.).  Show them that you actually want to work there, and while doing that, prove to them that you are a qualified candidate.

• Don’t be Stupid. Recruiters have a facebook and twitter account too and most of them will check yours before you are interviewed.  Pictures of you playing beer pong aren’t exactly the extra-curricular activities they are looking for.  Neither are tweets about how you cheated on your econ test or can never wake up for your 10am classes and can’t imagine going to work at 8am everyday.  Like I said, just don’t be stupid.

You don’t have to be a mind reader, just follow some basic guidelines and be pro-active.  You need to set yourself apart from the crowd and present yourself in a positive light.  Every little bit helps.