// 7 Areas Employers Look For in Good Job Candidates:

1.  Schedule Availability

Employers are looking for individuals with flexible schedules, meaning they are available to work during large chunks of time.  Many employers understand that youth are in school and can accommodate school or extracurricular schedules.  If you are a student looking for a job, when you fill out an application pay special attention to your availability in the evenings and on the weekends.  Employers are more likely to hire an individual who is available to work during these times.

2.  Pay Expectations

Many applications ask for a desired starting wage.  In many cases, especially if you have not worked before, you should mark "Flexible" in this space.  This tells the employer that you are willing to work out a desired wage with him/her.  If you have worked before, either put your hourly wage from your last job or an average hourly wage for the job you're applying for.

3.  Work History and Job Stability

Employers look at the "Work History" portion of your application to see if there are any sudden, frequent, or lengthy gaps of time where you were unemployed.  This tells the employer how long you stay with each job. 

4.  Relevant Experience

Depending on the position you are applying for, employers will see if you have matching experience for the job.  If you've had jobs, volunteer opportunities, or other forms of work before, you have some sort of experience.  Make sure to use action words to describe some of your responsibilities.  Some responsibilities may include:

• Babysat two children under the age of ten for three years.

• Handled and counted cash for five months at XYZ Job.

• Responsible and on time.

As you can see from the examples above, employers look for action words, your experience, and how long or how much time you've done the experience.

5.  Professionalism and Enthusiasm

Professionalism is an attitude and an appearance.  It means wearing appropriate attire, and acting appropriate or adult-like at a job.

Attire - The general rule when going to a job interview is to dress on the dressier side rather than the casual.  Different jobs have different dress codes.  For example, when you go to interview for a clerk job at a grocery store, you may want to wear nice slacks and a button up shirt or a knee-length skirt, blouse, and heels.  Look at the example to the right.  If you were an employer and had to hire one of the two individuals shown here, based on professional dress, which person would you pick?

Enthusiasm - One way to set yourself apart from the crowd when applying for a job is to be enthusiastic about the job and as well as your everyday demeanor.

6.  Communication Skills

Good communication skills are necessary in the workplace.  Employers want to know that you're able to communicate well with others.  In the list of communication skills below, check the box if you do the following things:

7.  Customer Service Skills

• Being polite to customers and employees
• Having a positive attitude even when times get rough
• Understanding a customer's complaint and trying to solve it without getting upset
• Asking customers if the need any help finding something
• Saying Hello, Thank You, and Have A Nice Day!