The 5 skills all job recruiters look for

Sometimes our clients will provide us with about five non-negotiable criteria for candidates to meet; skills they must possess or experience they have to have to be considered for a specific role. Of course this varies across positions and companies, but there are several items we see cropping up again and again. I compared notes with the other recruiters in our office to come up with those criteria we are asked to identify most frequently these days.

1. Leading up, down, and across

For directors it’s not just about management anymore. It’s all about leadership. Have you honed your management style in a way that inspires others and makes them want to follow you, not just listen to you? Have you looked for training and mentors? Good managers don’t just turn in your review and manage time and expectations, they develop talent and motivate their team to strive further and achieve more. Our Vice President, Kassie Wilner, adds that the ability to “use your influence to gain consensus cross-functionally and build effective relationships across divisions in a matrix corporate structure” is a skill that she sees coming up again and again.

2. Social media experience

In addition to having experience managing social media for a company, Vice President, Jenn Saldarelli broadens this qualification to include the necessity that “candidates have an established online presence.” A polished and well-packaged digital voice will add to your candidacy. You want to be a part of the conversation and this is one of the easiest ways for the hiring party to screen your writing and creativity before deciding whether to meet you.

3. Gravitas

There is an intangible element that comes up a great deal with our clients. They often speak of it when referring to the need for a new hire to be able to interact with executive-level business leaders. They are looking for a personality and poise that can communicate with big clients, with donors, and with those in the C-suite. This is a difficult trait to develop but you can work to eliminate extraneous physical and verbal habits and enter a room with confidence rather than arrogance or deference.

4. “Change agent” experience

In his great article on this topic, consultant Glenn Llopis says, “If leaders don’t feel comfortable with renewal and reinvention, they will begin to lose their impact and influence quickly.” Have you been in a role that required you to identify opportunities for growth and make recommendations for new ways of operating? Have you had experience advocating for new initiatives? How about increasing people’s ability to manage future change? This kind of experience will serve you well in our rapidly evolving industry.

5. Content strategy

Candidates who can help a brand or an organization better tell their story and engage with customers online bring experience that is highly valued right now. As companies seek to be their own publishers, they need to make hires who know how to create and curate content.

There are, of course, many other areas of expertise that hiring managers are looking to identify. This is just the short list of criteria we are asked to look for most often. We would encourage you to strengthen these skills and consider how you can frame the experience you do have around these core qualifications.