What Employers Want

Hey Monkeys, 
I just read this article about what employers want from the class of 2017. This article describes the skills employers want, where employers are hiring, and what recruiters like. 

Skills Employers Want

 
Hard Skills: 

 Monster, the employment website, recently released data on entry-level job postings that showed the top “hard skills” employers want are computer-related, including quality assurance, structural query language and Java. Other skills in high demand are pediatric specialization and knowing another language. 

 
The article also notes that being proficient in Microsoft Office is very important (shown below). 

 If they’re not proficient in Microsoft Office, Salemi recommended taking online tutorials. Don’t take this lightly: Some recruiters test candidates to make sure they’re proficient in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 

 
Soft Skills: 

 Monster also compiled the most sought-after “soft skills.” They include oral and written communication, marketing, Microsoft Office, being detail-oriented and problem solving 

 

What Recruiters Like

 
Recruiters are looking for people who can fit the culture of the company, while being interesting. 

"The top thing they’re looking for is someone we can see fitting in there,” Salemi said. That means someone who won’t stress out while dealing with a tight deadline, someone they wouldn’t mind working late hours with and someone who has more to chat about at the water cooler than work. 

 
 
Monkeys, if you were hiring anyone what would you look for? What hard skills? Soft skills? What tips do you have for people, especially the class of 2017, who are on the job search? What skills do you have that has helped you secure a job?