5 Desirable Qualities to Highlight During an Interview

If you’ve ever been through the interview process at a company (and something tells us that you have), you surely recognize the fact that it’s often a tough thing to handle. There are times that it can feel as if your life is on the line. Though that’s not the case, an important job can change your life in ways that you often can’t even imagine.

The trick to landing the job isn’t just to be personable and portray a desire to work at the company but to convey in your short time together that you have the qualities the company is looking for. Which qualities are we talking about? Here are five that will put you over the top if you’re not already there:

Adaptability

While it may sound corny when you say it out loud, the truth is that companies want employees who can adapt to changes in the workplace. But, more importantly, they want employees who desire change. These are the best employees to have because no matter what you throw at them, they roll with the punches and never give up. If you can convey to the interviewer or hiring manager that you are precisely this type of person, you just might find your resumé floating to the top of the heap.

Good Judgment

A typical request in a modern interview is also very simple – “Give us an example of a time when you used good judgment.” That means this one’s easy: they’re giving you a chance to pick a shining moment you think best demonstrates your judgment, which will help paint a picture of who you are for the interviewer. The best solution here is to be ready for the question and have a situation in mind, but do not prepare the response in advance. If you sound rehearsed, it won’t come across as genuine.

Team Player Personality

Nearly every employee in every company – even independent contractors – must display the ability to work with a team. Businesses have tons of moving parts all working in conjunction with one another, and if you don’t fit in, then the entire operation could quickly fall apart. Depending on your specific role and the type of company you’re interviewing for, then teamwork might include working closely with clients, too. This means that the hiring manager will want to be confident that you can work with all types of personalities.

Management Mindset

While you may not be applying for a management position, there’s a good chance that your overall presentation will be sized up as if you are. Employees who demonstrate a management mindset during the interview process are typically thought to fit in better because they see things from a manager’s perspective. To show this in an interview, you basically need to convey that you have a sense of accountability in how you represent the company and how that company is represented as a whole.

Humility

Projecting confidence is great in many aspects of life, and the interview process is definitely one of them. That being said, if you are overly confident to the point where it approaches being egotistical, arrogant, or perhaps even narcissistic, you will blow your interview no matter how great everything else went. You need to show some humility – let them know that you work hard and are confident in your abilities, but that you’re not perfect.

Landing a new job can be tough, but if you convey the above qualities, you’ll increase your chances of being selected. An important element is to know exactly what a background search will turn up. NationSearch completes an array of different criminal records searches, drug abuse conviction searches, and several others for businesses across the country. If it’s a part of your record, we will find it – so adjust your interview accordingly. Good luck!