NEW: What employers look for in a job candidate

Memory Nguwi

Over the years, we have realised a considerable gap between what employers are looking for and what prospective employees have to offer, or what they think their potential employers are looking for.

We believe that whilst it is essential for employers to know what they want – qualification, experience, skills and competencies – from the on-set (before initiating the recruitment process), it is also equally crucial for prospective employees to competitively present and position themselves – through the curriculum vitae, at the interview and more importantly on the job.

Realising this need, we approached 29 senior managers and business executives and asked them various questions relevant to the employability of a typical job seeker.

The questions ranged from what distinguishes one curriculum vitae from the others and what eventually causes preference to one and not the other. We also asked what potential employers look for in the interview room.

The survey respondents were asked: When shortlisting candidates based on their CVs, what do you look for?

72 percent of the respondents said they look at the candidate’s qualifications. Again, 79 percent said they look at the candidate’s relevant experience.

Therefore, candidates need to ensure that their curriculum vitae clearly outlines their experience and qualifications; these must be easy to locate on the CV.

The challenge that most applicants have is that they hide – often unintentionally – these critical attributes of the curriculum vitae.

Curriculum vitae presentation and layout is critical. Essentially, the curriculum vitae is the ambassador of the candidate.

The curriculum vitae should be concise and to the point.

Headings should be clearly distinguished from the main text. The recommended format should be the applicant’s name, contacts details and a summary of the essential skills, qualifications and competencies.

A concise career objective should follow. This gives your ‘would-be’ employer a quick appreciation of the person-job fit before they consider your relevant experience and qualification.

After this comes the details of your employment history. Be sure to clearly state the name of the employer, the start date, and the end date of your employment contract there.

Also, mention your position/ title and then briefly describe your responsibilities and achievements there. Remember that these should be brief and to the point. Guidelines for what to include under the primary duties and responsibilities should be found in the job advert. Please note that your employment history should be in chronological order, starting with your most recent employer.

The focus should be on accomplishments and not job responsibilities.

The employment history is followed by an outline of the education/ qualifications you have. In essence, you have told your potential employer what you can do and have done. Naturally, this should arouse interest and answer the question: are you qualified to do that?

When detailing your qualification(s), start with the institution from which you earned the qualification, followed by the country/city in which the institution is, then provide the full name of the qualification followed, finally, by the year in which it was completed.

It is not mandatory to put the individual subjects; if anything, you risk making your curriculum vitae too long.

Remember that there are probably two hundred other applications that need to be reviewed.

Your curriculum vitae needs to be relevant, concise, and to the point – easy for the ‘would-be’ employer to get to the attributes they are looking for, and see if you meet the minimum hiring standards.

The next section of your curriculum vitae should include your skills summary (e.g. computer literacy and familiarity with the Microsoft Suite of Packages), professional membership (e.g. Institute of People Management Zimbabwe); Interest/ Hobbies (reading the newspaper/novels) and any Other Relevant Information. The final section is the Referees (or References) Section. You must always put at least three contactable references.

Should you be shortlisted, the next stage is the interview. Interviews provide an opportunity for the employer to meet the prospective employee in person. Having been ‘impressed’ by your curriculum vitae, the employer now wants to meet the person behind the curriculum vitae. The interview is an opportunity to market you as the candidate effectively.

When asked what they will be looking for in an interview, most (72 percent) of the respondents said they would be seeking to understand the individual’s personality. This is a very interesting statistic, yet it may be a true reflection of industry in general in Zimbabwe at the moment. With many organisations struggling to break even, employers want employees to be flexible, adaptable and receptive to change. They want employees who are willing and able to do the best of their work with the most minimal resources and tightest of budgets; this calls for innovation.

Employers are looking for slightly different qualities from graduates; they are looking for graduates who understand core business principles, systems and processes; graduates that exhibit technical ability – whatever their field.

The graduate must show a willingness to learn and continually update knowledge – this is more important than a stock of knowledge. The graduate must also display problem-solving abilities, but employers are only moderately satisfied with this because of graduates’ lack of real business application.

Our research revealed that after all the CV shortlisting and selection in an interview, employers must understand if the prospective employee has good knowledge and fully understands the economic, socio-cultural dynamics that affect business and its operations.

Prospective employees must also exhibit a passion for the company/organisation, its people, and the job at hand. I have facilitated interviews where the candidates have no idea what the company does; this suggests that you are not interested in the company.

***Memory Nguwi is an Occupational Psychologist, Data Scientist, Speaker, and Managing Consultant- Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a management and human resources consulting firm. https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com email: [email protected] or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com