#5 Things That Employers Look For During Placements With the changing times and demands, college GPAs and reputations are not the main criteria for selection.

Organizations would recruit individuals for the new business opportunities and/or upgrading their existing workforce. The thumb rule of the recruiter is simple – go in for a candidate whose "Return on Investment" shall be the best for the organization. This investment includes, all direct costs, training costs, and indirect costs due to many behavioral aspects of the individual.

With the changing times and demands, college GPAs and reputations are not the main criteria for selection. From the eyes of a seasoned recruiter, inculcating at least some of these qualities, while working towards all of them, will make you go places during the interview process:

1. Interpersonal Skills – When we hire an individual, we hire a professional, not a person who wants to work alone and/or only works for eights hours/day. It shall not be work in a silo but a collective responsibility towards the organization. Her/his attitude affects the relationships she/he has with co-workers and supervisors, as she/he spends ample amount of time in the day with her/his colleagues and need to build a rapport. It's a strong belief in corporate that great work comes from cohesive team and well-synced teammates.
2. Problem solving and Aptitude – Companies consistently follow the process of checking a person's aptitude with a whole gamut of tools and will hire those who have satisfactory problem solving capabilities and are dependable. This innate quality shall keep the person in pace with the dynamics of the industry and come up with innovative ideas benefitting the company as well as self.
3. Good Communication Skills – Communication skills have become one of the key parameters in the appraisals and promotions in the organizations. A good communicator equipped with decent technical skills, is most sought-after in industry to ensure high customer satisfactions and value addition to the company's credibility.
4. Self-starter– Companies seek for the candidate, who feels it's never too old to learn anything new. The pace at which market scenarios are changing, adaptability and continual learning are the words of the day. While there may be specific assignments that are given in work, there are opportunities to do even more and a candidate is surely to be tested on his/her initiative to go beyond the expectations.Taking the initiative to do things better provides insights into the personality of the employee and shall not go unnoticed in the organization setup.
5. Stability& Positive Attitude – A company wants to invest in an individual who has genuine zeal and enthusiasm with regard to his/her career path and is willingness to pursue a role in the company. She/he should feel proud of being part of the company and work she/he is getting into. Companies are drawn to candidates who would spend time with the company for a long term, with potential to be used in diverse roles. Most often, the company may hire her/him for a role, envisaging future goals of organization.

There are many other characteristics that are tested upon like honesty, ability to meet milestones, respect etc. but these all are manifestations of a positive attitude, which is what is most looked for in hiring. No job is tailor-made for a prospective hire or vice-versa. The organization looks for people who can not only be hired for the existing job, but also for some other jobs in future in the organization. She/he should be open to flexibility at workplace, willing to go that extra mile to achieve "beyond expectation" results in an otherwise mundane job.