Job Seeker Blog - Spark Hire

5 Personal Characteristics of Effective Job Seekers

Job seekers know that the right professional skills and experience are vital for landing a job. Smart job seekers will spend a lot of time honing those qualifications. But what about personal characteristics? What qualities make a successful job seeker? What personal qualities will impress a potential employer? Which can help to propel your job search forward?

1. Tenacity
Great job seekers have tenacity. Tenacity can otherwise be described as resolve or drive. A tenacious person has a tendency for action; they never allow the job search to simply take its own course. They actively explore new ideas, are persistent about potential opportunities and are aware of how they can grow in order to make themselves more qualified.

2. Confidence
Employers like to see that candidates are confident in their skills and in what they can bring to a company. Practice explaining how your experience displays your skills so you can talk about it fluidly with people you’ve just met. This also applies to networking opportunities. As a job seeker, you can make a lot of great connections by simply walking up to someone you don’t know and extending your hand. To get comfortable with this, maybe start by attending small, local networking events and make it a goal of introducing yourself to three people.

3. Persistence
Successful job seekers will persistently pursue a job opening. Follow-up with a phone call after sending a resume and ask what next steps you should take. If you know the company you’d like to work for, reach out to someone within the company and develop a rapport with them.

4. Self-motivation
What motivates you to move forward through stress or anxiety? Much like the atmosphere in a workplace, you most likely won’t have someone looking over your shoulder telling you what steps to take next in your job search (unless of course your parents really, really want you to move out of their basement). When the job search gets tiring or discouraging, find unique methods of motivation so you can keep going.

5. Thick Skin
The job search is bound to come with a certain amount of rejection- it’s inevitable. While this can be difficult to swallow, your actions immediately following rejection will prove your mettle as a job seeker. Be prepared to take negative feedback, apply it to your current practices and continue to move forward. It is important to remember that not getting the job is not a personal affront. Every company is searching for the ideal candidate for the benefit of their company. Their rejection most likely means that you’re a better fit for a different company, and ultimately, you’ve been given another chance to discover that job!

Obviously there is no magic formula of personal qualities that creates the perfect job seeker. Everyone has their own strengths, and everyone has room to grow. However, do spend some time reflecting on your own strengths and weaknesses to determine where you might be able to develop these more personal job seeking skills.

What are some other personal characteristics of strong job seekers? Share with us in the comments section below!

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Kailyn Baum

Kailyn is a recent college graduate with degrees in English and Political Science. She is currently working in the publishing industry, where she loves the fact that she is paid to immerse herself in talking and thinking about books all day long. When she isn’t working, she enjoys reading, cooking, line-dancing, and writing short stories and poetry. Her sincerest hope for contributing to Spark Hire’s job seeker blog is to provide job seekers of all ages with the tools and sense of humor necessary to stay calm and carry on.

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