According to an article blogged by PayScale’s Marissa Brassfield, a whopping 88 percent of employers prioritize "cultural fit" within the company over technical skills when hiring new employees, according to a Universum survey. Forbes' Meghan Casserly broke down this research, which encompasses the responses from 1,200 major companies, revealing the top five traits employers love hiring.
1. Professionalism, 86 percent: Hiring managers can read your professionalism within the first 30 seconds of your interview. How you shake hands, stand and dress are all opportunities to exhibit professionalism.
2. High energy, 78 percent: Like professionalism, this first-impression trait is essential to exude from the start. Enter the room with your hand already outstretched for a handshake, recommends Kathy Harris, managing director of a Manhattan-based executive search firm, and make sure you've done your research on the company beforehand.
3. Confidence, 61 percent: This is the No. 1 trait that survey respondents thought employees lacked most. Channel confidence, and you're already a leg up on the competition.
4. Self-monitoring, 58 percent: Use your resume to strategically emphasize roles in which you've thrived. "In interviews choose anecdotes that show how you've saved, made or achieved in previous positions," advises Harris, "and how self-motivation was critical to that success."
5. Intellectual curiosity, 57 percent: Employers are looking for candidates with a genuine passion for learning, as these hires have a better chance of adapting to changing work conditions, technologies and responsibilities.
I read this article before an interview last month. During the interview, I met with five different attorneys, all of whom I felt were looking for exactly the traits indicated above: professionalism, high energy, confidence, how I thrived in previous roles, and intellectual curiosity. After an hour and a half of three individual attorney interviews, the fourth attorney I met with told me directly that this interview wasn’t going to be that of a typical law firm. He directly stated that he was evaluating for “personality.” I realized the Forbes article was right on point.
If I were to offer any other advice to those applying for an entry-level attorney position, it would be to know your résumé in a way you can talk about your previous roles with confidence; be personable; and think of the interview as a discussion. Thinking of it as a discussion helped me calm my nerves and be myself. Because the best thing you can portray, is yourself.
Chandani Patel graduated from GGU with her JD/MBA in 2012.
