P1 - explain the personal attributes valued by employers
Lee Mercer 24/09/2013
The job market is shrinking constantly and jobs are getting harder to get with more people applying and more skills being required it is imperative to be the top of the market.
Employers are now looking for more thank just qualifications for the job you are applying for you also need other life skills like:
- Good Technical skills ( Hardware, software and security) - Doing a degree is the first step to getting a career but in the computing industry everything is constantly updating. With this constantly updating environment you need to be not only keeping your current skill set up to date but also expanding into skills you don't know. Employers will see people who have a constantly expanding skill set as irreplaceable and they are seen as a vital part of any company.
- Along with the software knowledge required in a computing job having some base hardware knowledge is also important. Most company's will have a separate department for the hardware side but having some base knowledge of what you are using could be extremely useful and can show your employer that you have an edge over others. Also working with computers in any industry can have vital implications if you don't know some basic information about security. Files can be took from your account with out your permission if you don't have your security set up.
- There is not only security software but there is also the common sense side of don't leave USB sticks around where people who don't need to see the information can.
- Verbal and Written Communication skills - Communication is vital in every aspect of work. Both the ability to pass on ideas verbally and to be able to compile written reports are key to most employers. In the computing industry and especially for a game company communication is important, without communication the designers will be designing say a car when the coders could be coding a tank this would set the production back and delay the release of the game. Employers will make sure people they hire can work as good in a team as they can alone.
- Good time management - Time management skills are asked for by employers not only in the respect of getting into work on time which is important, but also meeting deadlines for reports or games and for being able to help others keep on time. It is key that you can show good time keeping skills to an employer as it will set you in good standing for a job over someone who can't keep to schedules. Figures show 70% of projects in the computer industry can fail as to bad time management and
- Independence - Having independence shows an employer that you are not only a good worker, but also they do not need to bother about wasting time giving out tasks. It shows you have motivation also as you can just work without prompt. Showing independence makes employers deem the employee a good candidate over others who cant show independence.
- Self Motivation - Self motivation is sought after by employers along with independence as to an employer being able to get out of bed and get to work on time should be able to happen without a managers intervention. Some employee's lack self motivation and these can be a drag on the company they can extend projects and even cause them to fail completely.
- Team Working Skills - The ability to work independently is important to employers but so is the flexibility to work in teams. The teams could be small teams like a group of programmers working on a character, or even just working together as a company to make sure the whole project can come together correctly and on time. Showing good team working skills can be vital in a job interview and some company's even create team work tasks for the applicant's to go through to see whether they are the correct calibre for the position.
- Integrity - Integrity is a key part in all aspects of life, many employers like to see that the applicants are integral as everyone makes mistakes but a small mistake that has not been revealed can lead to project destroying implications later down the line. Integral members of a business can also save lots of money, if someone can be honest and say if they are struggling or lack the knowledge to do a job then they can be moved about to somewhere that they are more suited and allowing people who can do the job more efficiently to take the place.l
- Leadership Skills - Even though not everyone a company hires will be a leader it is key to have some basic leadership skills. These skills show your employer that you are capable of not only communicating but also organising and keeping deadlines for a group of people. This will also compliment other skills like team working skills and time management.
Summary - First impressions count when speaking to employers and it is key to get across any personal attributes you have even if only small. Working in a company that programs in C# you would be required to know C# but knowing how to troubleshoot your pc and even other languages such as JAVA or Python will appeal to employers and make you stand out.
