The most important attributes employers are looking for in new hires
College students looking to attract, engage and impress potential employers should provide evidence of their problem-solving skills and teamwork abilities – plus a host of additional attributes on their resumes, according to a new survey report released on January 16 from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE’s Job Outlook 2020 survey found that beyond a relevant major for the position and a strong GPA, problem-solving skills and the ability to work as part of a team are the attributes employers most want to see on resumes. Ninety-one percent of employer respondents are seeking signs of a candidate’s problem-solving skills, and 86 percent want proof of a candidate’s ability to work as part of a team. (See Figure 1.)
Other top attributes this year are a strong work ethic, analytical/quantitative skills, written communication skills, leadership, and verbal communication skills.
These skills remain the ones employers most want to see on resumes. In fact, the top eight resume attributes that employers are focused on this year were also the top eight “most wanted” attributes last year, albeit in a different order of importance. For example, the largest percentage of employers last year sought written communication skills; these skills fall to fifth on this year’s list of top resume attributes.
Figure 1: Attributes Employers Seek on a Candidate’s Resume
| Attribute | % of Respondents |
| Problem-solving skills | 91.2% |
| Ability to work in a team | 86.3% |
| Strong work ethic | 80.4% |
| Analytical/quantitative skills | 79.4% |
| Communication skills (written) | 77.5% |
| Leadership | 72.5% |
| Communication skills (verbal) | 69.6% |
| Initiative | 69.6% |
| Detail-oriented | 67.6% |
| Technical skills | 65.7% |
| Flexibility/adaptability | 62.7% |
| Interpersonal skills (relates well to others) | 62.7% |
| Computer skills | 54.9% |
| Organizational ability | 47.1% |
| Strategic planning skills | 45.1% |
| Friendly/outgoing personality | 29.4% |
| Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker | 24.5% |
| Tactfulness | 24.5% |
| Creativity | 23.5% |
| Fluency in a foreign language | 2.9% |
[Source: Job Outlook 2020, National Association of Colleges and Employers]
So, be prepared to provide examples of the top attributes indicated above – on your resume and when you go to an in-person interview.
Data for the Job Outlook 2020 survey were collected from August 1, 2019, through September 30, 2019. This year’s data collection not only surveyed 905 NACE employer members, but also 2,229 employer organizations that were nonmembers.
~ Posted by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
