culture | Journey

Top Interview Traits Your Future Boss Wants to See

By Job Journey on Monday, July 28, 2014

If you think outstanding references and years of education are the top traits employers are looking for during interviews, think again.

According to a new study by Express Employment Professionals, it turns out the most important thing you need to get where you want to be is a positive attitude. The recent survey found that attitude and integrity are the two top qualities your future bosses want to see. In fact, your attitude toward a future job and employer may be the most important trait to develop if you’re looking for a job.

Developing a Positive Attitude
So, what are some ways to give your attitude a positive boost before, during, and after a job interview? Here are some tips to help you keep your attitude in check:

Make eye contact. Engage yourself with the interviewer by smiling, relaxing, and showing emotion.
Be positive. Focus on what you can do and don’t cut yourself down. If the interview asks about your greatest weakness, try to show how it has strengthened you.
Never complain. Even if your former boss was the worst boss in history, don’t complain. Employers see a bright red flag if your interview is full of criticism, complaints, or excuses.

Showing Integrity and Work Ethic
Let’s assume you have a strong work ethic – how can you show your new, future boss that? These tips can help:

Be respectful. Show respect to past co-workers and describe positive relationships in your previous job.
Make a good impression. Show you have a strong work ethic by arriving to your interview on time and prepared.
Be honest. If you are lacking in certain areas, be honest about it, but stress that you are willing to learn and will go above and beyond to provide the skills the employer needs.

Other Important Interview Traits
These findings came from the 2014 edition of the “America Employed” survey of 115 Express franchises across the nation. The survey asked respondents to rate various traits on a scale of one to five based on how important they are when evaluating applicants.

While skills and job experience were certainly important, the traits respondents rated as most important were attitude (4.53 out of 5), work ethic and integrity (4.52 out of 5), and credible work history (4.07 out of 5). Other traits included:

Culture fit (4.02)
Skills (3.85)
Job experience (3.73)
References (3.45)
Education (2.67)

In your experience, did a positive attitude during a job interview result in a job offer? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Career Options The Job Search

5 Ways to Find a Company Culture That Fits You

By Movin On' Up on Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Landing a great job is about more than a paycheck, benefits package, or good location. There’s another aspect of your job that is important enough to make or break your experience – company culture. All the money in the world won’t make up for a job you don’t like at a company where you don’t feel comfortable. You spend too much time at work to be unhappy in it.

Company culture is the unique personality or character of an organization, which can be seen in everything from dress code to workplace behavior to company values. Working at a company with conflicting values can be stressful, unfulfilling, and even discouraging at times. No matter how great the position and salary, if it’s not a culture match, you may be unfulfilled.

Now, even more employers are trying to figure out whether candidates will be a good fit for the company’s environment and with fellow co-workers. According to a study published in the American Sociological Review, determining whether or not potential new hires would enjoy working in the company’s cultural environment can play a greater role in the decision making process or the hiring process than your skills or background.

So, how do you go about uncovering a company’s culture and deciding whether or not it’s a good fit for you? Here are five ways you can find out if a company’s culture is right for you.

Assess Your Most Important Values
Think about the last time you felt like a job was a bad fit for you. What was it in paticular that made a poor fit? Asking yourself questions like this while reviewing your work history will help you get a better sense of what you’re looking for in an employer.

Discovering what is important to you about a company’s culture is a personal process, and you need to find what works best for you.

Keep a realistic expectation when listing your important values. It’s rare to find a work environment that is completely aligned with your values, but you should find employers that have a culture that allows your values to co-exist.

Apply Some Research
A simple action you can take to find out about a company’s culture is to visit their website. Most employers will have mission statements, annual reports, and media sources that can give insight into their beliefs and ethics. Looking into an employer’s social networking profiles can help you see if a company is more casual, expressive, and flexible or more professional, straight forward, and structured.

You can also research independent websites like GlassDoor.com or WetFeet.com where former employees offer honest opinions of companies they’ve worked for. The more you know before interacting with a potential employer, the better prepared you’ll be to ask the right questions to see if the job would be a good cultural fit.

Ask For Help
You can get a lot of information externally, but to get unique insight into what a company’s culture is really like, consider talking to people on the inside. Current employees and managers can give many details about the average work day and what is expected from the employer. Another bonus of talking to employees is that you’re networking with people who may improve your chances of getting hired if called for an interview.

Also, consider talking to recruiters from within a company or at a staffing agency. They can provide extensive experience from working for a certain employer. It’s their job to ensure job candidates understand what a company is like.

Arrive Early For an Interview
If possible, arrive early for an interview to observe the surroundings. Pay attention to how employees react to their work. Are they bored? Stressed? Excited? Note how managers or co-workers interact with each other, how they dress, or the layout and design of the workspaces. These kinds of clues can help you determine whether you’d mesh well with the work environment.

Acquire Information During an Interview
Before you’ve even been invited for an interview, you might consider doing an informational interview with the company. An informational interview involves talking with people who are currently working in the field to gain a better understanding of a job. You aren’t interviewing for a job, just meeting to gain experience and information.

While an interviewer may not be an ideal source for insight about negatives in an employer’s culture, asking questions that are specific to your values can help. Questions like, “Do you stress teamwork or independence?;” “What attracts employees to the company and why do they move on?;” or “What will be the greatest expectations and challenges of working for this company?” can help you determine if your values and a potential employer’s culture are a good match.

Not every job is meant for you, even if you are qualified for the position. If it turns out it’s time to go back to the drawing board, there are opportunities out there for you. By doing your research, enlisting the help of a recruiter, and building relationships with others – you may find the job that fits.

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You Wore What to Work? Worst Winter Wardrobe Choices Around the Office

By callie collins deroldan on Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Rain or shine, snow or sleet, business continues. And so does corporate culture.

Dressing for a day at the office can be complicated by the seasons, but bad weather is no excuse for dressing inappropriately: with few exceptions, you’re still expected to follow the dress code.

Casual vs. cozy

It’s tempting to dress solely for warmth and comfort in winter, as the days grow shorter and chilly temperatures have you reaching for mittens and scarves. But, depending on your industry, there’s a definite limit to how cozy you can be around the office.

Your company may have a business casual policy or allow for bending the rules in particularly treacherous conditions, but neither is likely to last all season long.

What not to wear this winter

Avoid turning heads for all the wrong reasons by steering clear of these winter wardrobe snafus:

Sweatpants and shirts: These ultra-casual hybrids between day clothes and pajamas are purposely devoid of all professional qualities. Nothing says, “My alarm didn’t go off,” like a rumpled pair of cotton sweats at the office. Even with holiday prints and whimsical graphics, they’re better left to weekends and sick days spent at home.

Jogging suits: If your outfit is more suited to the locker room than the board room, it’s probably not appropriate. Velour, spandex, polyester – the variety of synthetic fabrics available in coordinating colors still doesn’t bring them up to business casual status. Bottom line: your co-workers shouldn’t see you in yoga pants and a hoodie, at least not at your desk.

Outdated holiday sweaters: You remember them: red and green panels, kissing reindeer, candy cane stripes. They may still be kitschy cute, but in case you haven’t heard, these once-popular knits are now passé. Argyle or solid cardigans that coordinate with a tailored look are in style again this year and can help pull any outfit together.

Snow boots: Hefty boots and galoshes are great for crossing the parking lot. However, they’re not a substitute for loafers or heels once you’re safely inside. Check your company’s dress code for its policy on dress boots; they’re not always considered appropriate either.

Parkas: Oversized winter coats aren’t meant to be worn indoors all day. Even the fur-trimmed variety are no substitute for business jackets. If you’re cold at your desk, chances are you’re not the only one; speak to maintenance about adjusting the building’s temperature. Meanwhile, a pashmina, scarf, or discreet lap blanket can help you relieve the chill without making you look as though you were just leaving.

In general, a good rule of thumb is that if a piece of clothing is more casual than business, it’s probably not suitable for work. Ask your employer if you have doubts about what’s appropriate at your office. Classic styles , after all, trump cozy any business day of the year.

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