It can look perfectly clear what聽companies are seeking聽in future associates from their job listing: the mind-numbing qualifications (鈥淢ust have a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in executing functions and in creating excitement…鈥) and hyper-specific details (鈥…experience across a variety of mediums and channels,聽conceptual and ideation super powers, excellent copy chops, mad presentation skills…鈥).聽But when you sit down across the desk from a prospective employer and start answering questions, suddenly things don鈥檛 seem so black and white. That鈥檚 especially true at a time when millennials are moving from job to job and town to town in greater numbers. So we polled folks who hire for some of the companies on this year鈥檚聽100 Best Places to Work list and asked what they look for in a promising job candidate. Spoiler alert: clean shirts still matter.
Watch What You Post聽
Resum茅s, in the opinion of some, are on the way out. 鈥淎nyone can throw any random fact on there, and they are super generic,鈥 says Josh Olofson, manager of recruiting and development at 聽in Salt Lake City. 鈥淏ut nowadays, it鈥檚 all about connections, and that鈥檚 where social media plays a huge part. If I鈥檓 head hunting, the first places I go are LinkedIn and Facebook.鈥 This can be especially true in sales and marketing jobs, where showing an employer who you know is essential.
Dress the Part (But Use Your Head)
You want to look like you belong. You don鈥檛 want to peacock. But. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had people show up for interviews in a dirty shirt that they were rock climbing in that morning,鈥 says Ben Bressler, founder and director of , an eco-conscious travel company based in Colorado. In case it鈥檚 not clear, that鈥檚 a bad thing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing, even Ivy leaguers sometimes show up unshaven and looking like they had just climbed out of the back of a van.鈥
Be Humble鈥
You want to show that you know your stuff, but also that you don鈥檛 know everything. 鈥淎nyone who comes on too strong claiming individual credit for successful projects in their career probably wouldn鈥檛 be a great fit for us,鈥 says Kayla Vatalaro, global talent acquisition and engagement GM at , a programmatic advertising company. In a job where it鈥檚 crucial to fit with a team, just listen to Kendrick Lamar.
鈥nd Authentic
At Denver PR agency聽Ground Floor Media, 鈥渁nybody who wants to meet a potential hire gets to do so, and they can help with interview questions,鈥 says president Ramonna Robinson. The openness forces a recruit to roll with the unexpected鈥攁nd in those moments, they may reveal a sliver of who they really are. 鈥淪ometimes it just comes down to gut feelings,鈥 Robinson says鈥攆or both employer and employee.
Know Who You鈥檙e Talking To
鈥淭here are聽probably, like, 5,500 breweries in America right now,鈥 says Dave Thibodeau, founder of . But only a handful of them are based in Durango, Colorado. So knowing the nature of the place you鈥檙e applying to matters. Be able to say why this business, in this place, captures your imagination. 鈥淚f you enjoy mountain biking and drinking responsibly, if you like to take advantage of a powder day鈥攕ay it,鈥 he says. 鈥淎nd if it comes out without us digging for it, that means a lot.鈥
Show You Can Stay
Thibodeau relates a pet peeve shared by many employers: 鈥淚f I see on the resum茅 that you can鈥檛 last anywhere longer than six months, and had ten jobs in the last ten years, that kills it for me,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he people we鈥檙e hiring are millennials, and I know they鈥檙e searching for what they want to do and aren鈥檛 afraid to try new things.鈥 So far so good, he says. But ultimately, he wants to hear that you鈥檙e willing to invest yourself in the place you say you want to call home鈥攚hether it鈥檚 a whole new town, or just a new office.
Be Hungry
Gordon Seabury, CEO at , the Santa Barbara-based outdoor clothing company, says there鈥檚 one thing above all others that he listens for from a new recruit. 鈥淚f you hear something like, 鈥業 just wasn鈥檛 challenged in my last job,鈥 or, 鈥業 just didn鈥檛 feel I could make an impact,鈥 that鈥檚 a very good sign,鈥 he says. It means you want more.
Be Not Afraid
At Boulder-based design and architecture firm , Jennifer Olson says she has a favorite prompt she gives interviewees: 鈥淭ell us a time when you got yourself into trouble and how you got out of it.鈥 The right answer, she says, involves not accepting failure but pushing success. Maybe the interviewee got busted in college for underage drinking. Quit school, move back with the parents? 鈥淣ot what we鈥檙e looking for,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e want someone who faces challenges in life and sets the bar for success.鈥
Ask the Right Questions
And tailor them to the city, the job, the person before you. 鈥淭he one who will immediately get us is the one who balances listening and speaking,鈥 says Toad and聽Co鈥檚 Seabury. And when you speak, 鈥渁sk great questions rather than going down a checklist because you think you need to ask questions. Be someone who inhales more than once every in 20 minutes.鈥
Put a Bell on It
Ground Floor Media鈥檚 Robinson loves writer and marketing guru Seth Godin, especially the parable he wrote about a bicycle maker who makes his machines much like every other bike-builder鈥攂ut, at the last minute, he puts a bell or a tassel or flower on the bike to give something extra, and original, to the product. 鈥淲e try to always be thinking about that last five minutes,鈥 Robinson says. 鈥淚 flag that story and give it to all new hires.鈥