What Turns Potential Employers ON; What Turns Them OFF?

According to an annual survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, these are the most important qualities that employers are looking for in a job candidate, in priority order:

(1) Communication skills;

(2) Honesty/integrity;

(3) Teamwork skills;

(4) Interpersonal skills;

(5) A strong work ethic.

Be sure to highlight those skills in your resume, during your interview, and in your thank-you letter.

That same survey discovered the number-one thing that can turn potential employers off -- a job candidate's appearance! Specifically, they cited unusual hair color or style, body piercings, tattoos, and unusual clothing as things that most often gave a bad first impression.

What you think is "cool" may be the "hot" ticket to the reject list! So keep your need to express yourself under wraps during the interview, and you'll have a better shot at getting the job.

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com.

---

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

---

It May Be Time to Walk in an Employers Shoes
If you are in a job search and aren't receiving viable hits, it's time to walk a mile in an employer's shoes. Okay, I realize what you may be thinking.

---

How To Stay Calm in Tryng Times
That's not you? Great! Bad habits are hard to break once the addiction gets hold of us. Been there.

---

6 Steps to Re-inventing Your Career
Meaningful work honors the deepest part of your being. It is the embodiment of your gifts and talents and all that you value.

---

How to Turn Career Mistakes into Career Wins
I recently talked with a client who was paralyzed at the thought of making another "mistake" in her career.She was stuck and unable to choose a direction.

---

Write Resume Keywords That Gets Your Application Read
As children we often used to read stories where magical words can open caves filled with treasures or magicians using words like abracadabra..

---

A Peek at Nursing as a Career
We need more people to choose nursing as a career. There is a national shortage, so the career choice would guarantee future employment fresh out of school.

---

A Day in the Life of a Freelance Copywriter
Ever wanted a job where you could spend all day, every day, writing clever and inspiring prose? Yes? Well don't become a freelance copywriter!Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, and for some of us it's a calling that won't be denied. And you definitely do get to write clever and inspiring prose.

---

Mystery Shopping for Fun and Profit
How would you like to get paid to go shopping? That's right! Get paid to shop for clothes, eat in restaurants, watch movies, play golf, travel, and so on.You can have your cake and eat it too! Enjoy the best of both worlds.

---

Can You Tell Me Something About Yourself!
Interview Question, "Tell Me Something About Yourself?""Tell me about yourself" is the query, posted by one of the members and since yesterday I happen to go through many responses. I was just thinking?to give my opinion about the same.

---

Travel Writer Jobs, What Are They And How To Find Them
Travel writing jobs are few and far between. Getting into this field is hard to do and requires a lot of training and experience.

---

The Hidden Agenda of Interviews
It's Not What They Ask - The Hidden Agenda of InterviewsWhat do you think you're going to an interview for? To list your qualifications and discuss what's on your resume? That's just the tip of the iceberg, and you're the Titanic if you don't go in with at least an idea of what is behind their questions.Sure, there are the standard questions, because the basic information has to be conveyed some way, and besides reading your resume, they like to see you sweat and whether you can be caught out with any inconsistencies between what is on paper, and what comes out of your mouth.

---

7 Secrets of a Highly-Effective Resume Cover Letter
Just like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, the "humble" cover letter gets no respect.Job-seekers spend so much time and energy on their resumes they've got nothing left to offer their poor, neglected cover letters.

---

Seven Steps to Better Networking
If published statistics are accurate, employment agencies and search firms fill about 20% of all jobs in the US. Job boards fill anywhere between 2% and 8%.

---

Are You Sabotaging Your Career?
My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for the past two decades teaches me that most leaders are screwing up their careers.On a daily basis, these leaders are getting the wrong results or the right results in the wrong ways.

---

What Can I Do To Improve My Job-Interviewing Skills?
Whether you're a student job seeker or a polished and proven executive, the first thing you must come to terms with is, "Regardless of the position you seek, you are now in sales!" The product you are selling is YOU! The interview is your opportunity to differentiate yourself in the eyes of your customer [the interviewer] when compared to your competitors [other job applicants].Successful companies today are focused on building what's known as, corporate "Unique Value-Add Propositions.

---

How to Tell if You are Fired and Just Dont Know It
No one should be fired and be surprised about it. There are always warning signs.

---

Job Search: Time Management
There is an old adage that "Looking for a job is harder than working." How true! The rigors of job search are magnified by the turmoil we experience: lack of self-confidence, humiliation, financial pressure, and the undercurrent of emotions that color all we do: fear, anger, depression, anxiety, loss.

---

Formal Business Attire is Making a Comeback
The dot com boom of 1990s brought with it a laissez-faire attitude to dress code. Business casual was not a word that was part of our daily vocabulary.

---

How to Get Hired by Being Obvious
If you want a drink of water, do you hire a focus group or pick up the Yellow Pages? No. You go to the kitchen, fill a glass and drink.

---

From Cleaning Lady to Entrepreneur: How Your Cleaning Business can Benefit from the Images
Many people never consider entering the cleaning business because of the images it has."Be a janitor (or cleaning lady or maid)? Me? That's too demeaning!" is a common reaction.

---