What do employers want?

Unit 1 Communication and Employability Skills for IT

What do employers want?

When applying for a specific job, it helps if you have technical knowledge. For example if you’re applying for a job as a programmer for a company, you’ll almost definitely need to know how to program, what it is and how to overcome problems you may encounter.  This technical knowledge is vital when you’re going for a specific job and can make you stand out against of people wanting the job.  Technical knowledge can also be experience, if you've had a previous job doing what you want to do in your new role; it shows you have the technical knowledge.

Also you need to know some work procedures and systems. Health and safety is a key work procedure which is needed in basically every job roll. For example if you was working on computers, you would have to know stuff like keep liquids away from the computer and make sure all the wires are tucked away so they aren’t a tripping hazard. Another example is if you were working in a science lab, you would need to know all the safety procedures like wear goggles, wear a lab coat etc, so you don’t get hurt. These procedures and systems are vital to know in a workplace because it shows that you know how to avoid injury or something going wrong.

When going for a job, any kind of job, you need to show that you have good time management. This is one of the most important aspects of working. If you have good time management you can get all your work out on time and you’ll know how long you have to complete it so you can get it to a good standard. If you don’t have good time management it could mean you end up submitting work late or not completing it to the needed standard and in the worst case you could lose your job. In the interview it would be a good idea to let them know you have good time management so it makes you look more reliable.

Another necessity is English. If you’re applying for a job, pretty much any job, you need to have good English skills. This can show various things to the employer, it can show that you’re well-spoken and have a good knowledge of the English language. Also being good at English will help you because it means you’ll be able to form a good E-mail if that’s needed in your workplace, or if you need to write reports often it will be needed because you need good grammar so it makes sense to who it’s going to. If an employer gets an E-mail asking for a job from someone who has bad English, straight away they will think this person isn't capable of writing or speaking properly and isn't fit for the basic stuff needed in the job.

Maths is not necessarily needed in all jobs but certainly is helpful. Having a decent knowledge of Maths can help in lots of circumstances. Jobs like programming, working with money or data, are jobs where Maths will come in handy.  Programmers will need basic Maths knowledge at least, because some of the code you’re writing will have Mathematics in it. Some jobs, like being a lolly pop man, you won’t really need to have knowledge of maths. Most big jobs these days require a decent knowledge of Maths which is why most College and University courses now ask for a Maths qualification. Maths is a hard subject so people who have studied it and have a decent grade often go on to study it further or get a good job which it is needed in.

Planning and organisation skills are important for various reasons.  To be organised with your work shows to your employer that you’re on top of it and understand it. It’s also good because it means you yourself know what you’re doing and what you have to do. Planning your work out shows the employer that you know what you need to do and this can also link to time management because when planning you’ll have to know how long you have on each piece etc.  Organisation is a good skill to have because it makes you more confident that you can complete your  work as you know what’s left to do and what you have done.

Also being able to problem solve is something an employer is looking for. If you’re a programmer for a big company, spending hours a day programming, the company will want you to be able to fix problems you encounter. If you’re coding is wrong but you don’t know where, you need to be able to figure out what’s gone wrong and fix it without freaking out and not being able to do your work. This means the company will trust you and think of you as a good programmer.

Being self-motivated is something that employers are looking for because it makes you stand out to the rest of the other workers.  It shows you that you’re self determination to do the task you’re set is massive and that you don’t need to keep being reminded about having to finish your work. Employers want this because not only does it make their job easy but you’re more than likely going to be very good at your job if you’re self-motivated.  Employers will recognise that you able to seek out a goal and achieve it without people having to prod you to do it; this will make you stand out and show that you’re a good worker.