What Do Employers Want?

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There was a time when we had a pretty clear idea of what employers were looking for. Back in the “good old days” companies wanted people that would come on board and do a good job for the next few decades. They wanted hard work, commitment, loyalty. They wanted people who were interested in staying in one spot until retirement. Remember, this was a time when even most professional athletes stayed with the same team for their entire careers.
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3 v; T2 ?) S: ?8 Y' Q; X! ]/ vThat’s no longer the case. Of course, companies still want commitment from their employees, but we live in a “bottom line” world these days, and people are expected to perform. No one really believes that employees are going to stay in a job for the rest of their lives anymore, so a large number of employers just want the person who is exactly what they need right now:
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& |7 a- v+ x5 }+ m. S6 m) J3 s“It’s not about you – it’s about them. I can not over emphasize this! Employers don’t care about what you want to do or even who you are until after they’ve hired you. So stop telling them about your dreams and start selling to their needs.” (From Guerilla Job Hunting )
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; j1 {+ l9 m: k" D3 x$ w, OPlaying to employers’ needs is a move that recruiters in all industries tend to latch onto. More than having the best answers to interview questions or wearing your best tie, a large number of recruiters and coaches want you to sell yourself as the candidate who has exactly what the company is looking for:

# o* z% h; r0 Q7 v7 T7 d* r”Be the qualified candidate
  i( G& I) \( P7 kKnow why you are qualified for the position by matching your experience to the specific requirements of the job ahead of the interview. By offering examples that match your qualifications to the exact position, the interview will be a breeze for you.” (From resumeredesign.com )
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& A  X) i* w& R: x/ }% zSo, it’s all about them and you need to figure out how to demonstrate that you have what they need. Makes perfect sense. Except for the fact that it’s becoming harder to figure out what it is that specific employers need. With communication breaking down between hiring managers and recruiters, and with job postings starting to resemble those commercials that end without you having any idea what product they’re selling, job candidates can feel as though they’re swinging blindly out there.

We know that you have to sell yourself as the answer to an employer’s prayers, but let’s make it easier for candidates to see what employers are praying for. It’ll make recruiters’ jobs a little easier, too. And we all know that those folks could use a break.