15 Valuable Qualities Employers Look For in Candidates

Of course, employers are interested in what skills you have - they need to know you can do the job they’re hiring you for, but they also want to know about your ‘qualities’. 

Qualities are characteristics that make you who you are and which define how you approach tasks. Employers may look for individuals who can demonstrate they possess certain ‘qualities’ as this means they’ll fit the company culture. Or, it could be they’re looking for someone with specific characteristics to bring diversity and a different approach to a team. 

It’s impossible to say for definite what ‘qualities’ each employer is looking for, but here are 15 characteristics that employers regularly seek out.

Related: How To Identify & Develop Soft Skills

What are the Top Qualities Employers Look For in Candidates?

Here are some of the key qualities and characteristics employers look for in candidates:

Being open-minded means you’re receptive to new ideas or suggestions. Employers favour open-minded people as they’re adaptable and can be taught new things. Open-minded people tend to fit into a new workplace quickly. You can demonstrate your open-mindedness in your application by describing how you respond to constructive feedback. 

Being reliable means doing things you say you would do, for instance, being punctual. Reliability is a highly sought after quality as it shows you’re committed to your work and that you can be trusted to deliver. Instead of saying, “I’m always on time to work”, provide the employer with an example of when you’ve had to complete a task or project that had a short deadline. 

Flexibility is the ability to change your stance when needed. Employees who are willing to step out of their normal duties to solve the issue are highly valued by employers. You can demonstrate this in an interview by giving an example of when you had to change priorities in your day-to-day job to meet the needs of the business. 

A problem-solver uses their skills, knowledge and experience to develop solutions to problems or issues. Someone who is a problem-solver has a range of other traits like logical thinking, resilience and determination. In an interview, you can demonstrate your problem-solving ability by describing how you approached solving a workplace issue and what the result was. 

An interest in learning shows that you’re keen to develop your skills and knowledge. Employers value this as they want to hire people who can grow in a role and progress their career with the company. You can mention in your application that you can enjoy reading or listening to business-related podcasts. 

Related: 13 Must Have Words To Include In Your CV

Being responsible is honouring your commitments and not making excuses if things go wrong. This is a sought after quality by employers, particularly when hiring for a managerial / senior role. In your cover letter provide an example of a work responsibility, detail how you approached it and what the outcome was. 

Someone who is focused has clear goals and objectives and has a plan on how to achieve these. People who can stay focused on the task and who don’t let distractions get in their way are less stressed and more successful. You could mention your future career goals and explain how you plan on achieving these. 

Someone who is confident has belief in their skills and knowledge - not being arrogant but being secure in themselves. Confident people are typically more engaged with a project and they also make effective leaders. During an interview, talk about suggestions or changes you made in your previous role and how this benefited the company. E.g., “By changing the digital agency we worked with, I saved the company £10,000 in one year.” 

Someone who is proactive puts in place ideas, plans or scenarios to combat a problem or issue before it happens. They may also actively seek out work that needs doing without them being asked to do it. Proactive people see the bigger picture and are organised - all of these are characteristics employers value. When describing your work style in an interview mention you like to work with a planner and make to-do-lists. 

A team-spirited individual gets joy and a feeling of pride from working in a team. Working well in a team means you’re receptive to others ideas and opinions, and that you can communicate well. Efficient teams are happier and more productive. To show you’re team-spirited mention when you’ve had to work in a team, explain your role and the value you brought to the project. 

Related: What Employers Look For In Candidates

If you’re communicative, you have great listening and spoken or written communication skills. You can get across your ideas, thoughts or feelings clearly and concisely. Employers look for people with this quality as it’s an integral skill for effective teamwork. An interview is an ideal opportunity to show off your communication skills: listen carefully to the questions and answer them appropriately with confidence. 

People with a positive attitude are optimistic: they see the best in things instead of thinking negatively. Someone with a positive attitude can add value to a company or team as challenges don’t phase them and they’re willing to try new things. In your application, mention a time when you had to overcome a challenge at work or in a volunteering setting; how did you approach it and what was the outcome. 

Being honest means you speak and act truthfully. Honesty is vital in the workplace as it builds trust between employees and between managers and employees. When trust exists, people feel they can communicate openly and be innovative. You can demonstrate your honesty in an interview by discussing a time that you failed. Be sure to back this up with what you learned from this failure. 

Being compassionate means being able to emphasise with others. Compassion is a quality that’s needed to be an effective manager or leader. You can show your compassionate side on your CV or during an interview by mentioning any volunteering experience you have and talking about why you felt compelled to help. 

Someone who is independent or self-reliant has the confidence to complete tasks on their own without the support of colleagues. There will be times when you’ll have to make a decision based on your judgement and employers want to know you have the ability and confidence to do this. You can show your independent quality during an interview by asking questions at the end of the interview or by describing a time you had to work on your own. 

Related: How To Really Impress During A Job Interview