One of the most frequent questions I get asked by job seekers who want to learn more about my company and industry is “What do you look for in a candidate?”. It’s a valid question, especially for students who want to grow skills to help them land a great first job. We’ve all thought about how we can be more marketable in one way or another – whether it’s for a job, date, new person, or opportunity.

My answer is usually a question – “What types of jobs are you most interested in?” – because if I don’t know that, I can’t answer the question effectively. It can be challenge for some to identify what types of roles they’re looking for immediately upon graduation or if they’re looking for a career change. However, to answer that question, we must start somewhere to help them really feel prepared about taking a step in that direction.

Although I know every job, company, and industry is different, there are some common themes of what skills I look for in a person, regardless of position and amount of experience. Some of this is based on my experience and some of this is simply “Who would I want to work with?”

We need to not only think about GETTING the job, but making a deep impact once we’re there. So although this question can be focused on new hires, this is also about us showing up as great teammates once we’re there and no matter how long we’ve been on a team.

This post is an attempt at sharing these skills and themes, as well as behavioral-based interview questions that address each of these areas.  I hope this helps you as you think about the people you want to join your team, the type of teammate you want to be, and how you can show an employer that you are definitely the right person for the job. (By no means do you need to be an expert in all these areas, but if you can excel in 3 of these areas, you will be an excellent teammate and hire in any company.)

• CURIOSITY & HUNGER TO LEARN – It’s true that for most positions, you don’t have to have the technical skills or experience in the industry – you only have to be willing to learn. This means asking good questions (not just the easy ones), viewing everything as a learning opportunity, seeking out chances to learn and grow, and admitting you don’t know everything.
  • Interview questions to evaluate curiosity or hunger to learn:
    • Describe a time you learned a new skill and how you approached that.
    • What is the most impactful feedback you’ve ever received? How did you integrate that into your life after hearing the feedback?

• ADAPTABILTY – Many of us crave black and white answers or complete certainty. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works. You need to grow confident enough in yourself and your skills that you can handle last-minute changes, you can rely on a few key skills when navigating challenges and uncertainty, and you can understand that when things happen or change, it’s not about you. You must stay committed to the goal and do what you can to work towards it, even if the process looks different than you imagined.
  • Interview questions to evaluate adaptability:
    • Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before.How did you react? What did you learn?
    • Tell me about a time when you were given a new project with an extremely short deadline and how you balanced that with your regular duties. 
    • Tell us about a situation in which you had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you handle it?
    • Give an example of how you respond when you are faced with an obstacle to an important project.

• COMMUNICATION SKILLS – The process of communicating includes sending and receiving a message clearly to a particular audience. This can come through different channels and can be largely varied based on the audience. Although communication skills can mean a lot of things, here’s where I see the greatest need right now: ability to read an audience and cater a message and its length to it, ability to explain the what, how, and impact, ability to create a professional email or presentation, checking with the audience to ensure the message was received as intended and clarifying if it wasn’t, and proactively sharing important updates with the audience. I see many early career professionals waiting for communication to happen to them and losing credibility because they weren’t proactive about challenges or roadblocks. I also see many people being very persistent in communication, to the point that it deters people away. Do your best to find the right balance, and don’t be afraid to ask about communications upfront rather than it being assumed incorrectly on both parties.
  • Interview questions to evaluate communication skills:
    • Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you correct the situation?
    • Tell me about a time when you had to present complex information. How did you ensure that the other person understood?
    • Tell me about a time when you were communicating with someone and they did not understand you. What did you do?
    • Tell me about a time when you had to use your verbal communication skills in order to get an important point across. What was the outcome of your efforts?

• ABILITY TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY & ON A TEAM – Many of us are working towards team goals but in independent settings. crucial that we stay centered around the team goals and purpose, while remembering what our individual part is within that. Working independently means that you can manage your time and tasks to accomplish the team goals. It means that you can contribute ideas to the team, build relationships with the team, and make individual progress while that is happening. As we have more hybrid and virtual work environments, it’s critical that people continue to build team camaraderie by picking up the phone or scheduling time with colleagues amidst working on your own goals and projects.
  • Interview questions to evaluate ability to work both independently and on a team:
    • Tell me about one of your favorite experiences working with a team and the contributions you made.
    • Can you describe a time when you had to manage a project with minimal supervision?

• NO DRAMA / RESOLVES CONFLICT DIRECTLY – I cannot emphasize how many managers share with me that they don’t want to hire someone on their team who is going to create or stir up drama. This means you need to be able to confront challenges and people directly and with respect, you need to know when to not engage in certain conversations (gossip), and you must stay focused on creating the team dynamic that helps everyone thrive.
  • Interview questions to evaluate conflict resolution skills:
    • Give a specific example of a time when you had to address an angry customer/patient. What was the problem and what was the outcome? How would you assess your role in diffusing the situation? 
    • Tell us about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you’ve ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with him/her.
    • Tell me about an experience in which you had to speak up in order to be sure that other people knew what you thought or felt.

• SELF-ORGANIZATION – This skill most crucial for those in school or who are recent graduates. It’s easy to assume that how we organize ourselves in school is how we will organize ourselves in the workplace, but I have found that to be false for most people. We must take time to identify how we best manage tasks and our time in order to complete everything on-time and to do what is expected of us. I rely on my Outlook calendar to organize my time and tasks. Because I travel so often, I schedule blocks of time to work on tasks about 2 weeks before a meeting or when it’s due so I have plenty of time to accomplish it. Finding what works best for you in organization and self-management will be a critical key to your success and personal brand building at work.

• SELF-AWARENESS – I often say to students “I can’t help you if you don’t know where you want to go.” This is true in any part of our lives. We can’t ask for help or know what we need if we can’t understand who we are and what’s most important to us. Before your next interview or work evaluation, think about these questions: What motivates you at work (money, recognition, etc.)? What makes you tick or angry (i.e. lack of respect)? What support do you need from a manager (i.e. weekly check-ins)? What impact do you hope to have in this role and in your career?
  • Interview questions to evaluate self-awareness:
    • What kinds of communication situations cause you difficulty? Give an example and explain why.
    • Give me an example of an important goal that you had set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
    • Describe the best supervisor you’ve worked with. What part of their management style appealed to you?
    • What type of work environment makes you the most productive?
    • How have you changed as a team member since your first job?

• WILLINGNESS TO RELOCATE – Opportunity is greater when you’re willing to take a risk and move. Not only does this give you more access to amazing opportunities, but it allows you to learn so much about yourself and grow as a person along the way. Although not every person is able to move to a new place, it is something that I would strongly encourage based on how instrumental it has been for me and my personal and professional development.
  • Interview questions to evaluate geographic flexibility:
    • Are you willing to relocate?
    • What is most important to you in your career?
    • Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

• ACCOUNTABILITY – It’s important to believe that no one expects you to know everything or to never make mistakes. Once you believe that, you can admit to your manager or your teammates that you misunderstood something, dropped the ball, made a mistake, or handled something poorly. The most important thing that you can do when making a mistake is admitting that you messed up to those it impacts, apologizing sincerely, and developing a plan with them to solve the problem. This is a huge opportunity to build trust on a team – don’t let this fall through the cracks.
  • Interview questions to evaluate accountability:
    • Can you describe a time when you took responsibility for a mistake at work? How did you handle it?
    • Describe a situation where you had to hold yourself accountable for meeting a tight deadline, even when faced with distractions or challenges.
    • How do you manage situations where you are accountable to multiple stakeholders with differing expectations?