Read here the top 5 recruiter competencies that will make you the ideal candidate.
Do you have an upcoming interview that you need to prepare for?
Preparation for an interview is important. Candidates who prepare 10 hours or more for an interview are more successful than those who put in as little as 4 hours of interview preparation.
You may be thinking, where do I even begin? How can I prepare properly for my job interview?
In this post, we will look at the top 5 competencies that recruiters are looking for in candidates.
Once we can recognise important competencies required, we can work on our interview answers that demonstrate these qualities.
Let’s take a look.
1. Written and oral communication skills
Communicating effectively is an appreciated skill in many roles, especially if your role is customer-facing.
But it’s equally as important when working within teams to ensure you’re able to share your ideas and thoughts and say them in a way that is understood and received well.
Communication isn’t just about what you say and how you say it. Your body language, tone of voice, facial expressions and listening skills are all communication tools that others will notice in your communication.
Improving your communication in an interview is simple.
- Listen to the question, use eye contact, open body language such as nodding, facial expressions or vocal acknowledgements such as to communicate that you’re listening.
- When delivering your answer, keep your body language open with eye contact. You can use facial expressions or hand gestures to support your communication. And remember to smile and look relaxed.
2. Teamwork and collaboration
Ever heard the classic interview question, “What is your biggest weakness?”
It’s a huge warning sign - especially for team-based roles if a candidate says they don’t like to be told what to do. Or if they say they like to take charge. Or if they say they aren’t confident at getting their ideas heard.
If the role you're applying for requires strong teamwork, you have to think very carefully about each question you get asked and what that says about your personality. You need to use examples and talk about skills that demonstrate your ability to work with teams while getting your voice heard effectively.
3. Critical thinking and problem solving
Every recruiter likes a problem solver. Managers want competent people carrying out their tasks and not needing to step in and micro-manage situations that should be relatively simple to resolve.
Within any behavioural-focused interview question, you need to answer in a way that demonstrates you can think on your toes when faced with a new challenge and give an example of when your quick thinking problem solving turned out well.
4. Leadership
Demonstrating leadership skills doesn’t mean you like to tell people what to do.
A great leader can take charge of a situation and find solutions to a problem that skillfully involves the rest of the team to achieve a positive outcome.
A great leader leads and inspires others while effectively communicating ideas and listens to others contributions.
5. Professionalism and work ethic
No recruiter wants an employee to turn up to work late, not dressed appropriately and carries with them a bad attitude.
When in your interview, there are checkpoints throughout that effectively communicates to the recruiter that you are professional and diligent.
The first is showing up on time, dressed professionally and holding yourself well, including how you communicate).
The second is bringing supporting work to demonstrate your skills and experience. This shows a high level of organisation and professionalism.