The unconscious DNA of a Job seeker

Employers hire on attitude. Yes, they read a resume or talk about skills that a job seeker has, but the right attitude and a growth mindset will trump skills any day. You cannot force a selection of skills into a job if the fit of the individual is all wrong for the environment. In other words, the attitude of the individual does not match the values and behaviours of the company daily.

Attitude or employability behaviours are the unconscious DNA of an individual. It is like meeting someone at a party for the first time and you either click or you do not. When employers hire unconsciously, they may hire like for like; in other words, a version of themselves. What recruiters practice daily is peeling back the layers of a company to discover the DNA of their top performers.

I am not talking the CEO here either, I am talking every person in that company from the janitor to the forklift driver to the packer to the receptionist or the accountant.

Will they turn up on time? Do they display energy, motivation, flexibility and engage with a smile? Are they open to learn? Are they a good team person? At no point do we decide that one role is more important than the other because we see every role as important, we use the same process every time. When the right employability behaviours are on display unconsciously those around will start to model the same behaviour’s … especially when the role models themselves are aware that what got them to where they are was attitudinal… they tend to share their how and why.

Imagine then, if you will, that we take all our reluctant job seekers who are being told daily they are in low skilled precarious work and removed any inference of this and only focus on how awesome their behaviour’s or employability skills are and how valued and important their contribution was in making NZ the best place to live, work and play. Could we see a gradual change in productivity and keenness to show up and be present in our everyday jobs?

Our ability to learn is fostered by both encouragement and competency. Being in the right job that you are competent to do supported and encouraged creates a career pathway. A pathway that may never be straight in fact the greater the curve the more skills are developed over time.

Let us use this narrative instead… employability behaviour’s = opportunity = work = reward

Fiona Harland Director ERG Recruitment