7 Traits That Set You Apart As A Candidate

7 Traits That Set You Apart As A Candidate – and it’s not your GPA!

Grit – By far my favorite. Grit implies that you are willing to dig in and do whatever it takes to get what you want (within moral guidelines and boundaries, of course). A company wants to know, not only that you have grit, but that your grit is applicable to their goals as well.
Rigor – Oh data overload. It’s not uncommon in our hyper connected world. The question is: can you take the data you are given and ask the right questions to arrive at a meaningful and critical decision?
Impact – Impact requires understanding how your own goals and vales align with a company’s goals and values and knowing how to organize priorities to achieve them.
Teamwork – Do you work well with other people? Can you function as a leader on one project and a willing member of the team on another? Can you respect the roles others assume or are assigned? Do you work well with other social styles, recognizing emotional clues?
Ownership – We’ve all been given lemons in life. What sets people apart is how they handle them. Making lemonade is a metaphor for looking for ways to make something positive out of what you’ve got. It doesn’t have to mean you own it forever, but while it’s yours, take care of it.
Curiosity – If you’ve got grit and rigor down, then you’d better have this one wrapped up as well. What else do you want to know about the industry, company, and people you’ll potentially be working with? If you don’t have any questions for your interviewer, it’s a huge red flag for them.
Polish – What you say and how you say it! Polish is all about communication. Oh, and don’t forget, how you look communicates a message too!

These seven traits were taken from a Fast Company article by  called THESE 7 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WILL HELP YOU HIRE THE BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB. I’d encourage a read through of the article to get a perspective on what an interviewer is looking for after you’ve considered my interpretations of the traits and how developed they are in your professional life.