What Employers Look For

Overview

Every time you sit down with an employer for an interview, they are hoping that you are the right person for the job. Being the “right person” usually involves two things:

  1. Being able to meet the requirements of the job (often referred to as skills-based hiring).
  2. Being a good fit for the team and the organization.

The best thing you can do to secure a job that is a good fit for your abilities and interests is:

  1. Explain how your past experiences clearly relate to the skills required by the role.
  2. Be authentically you in a professional setting.

Skills-Based Hiring

Employers are increasingly focusing on skills-based hiring over traditional hiring methods. Rather than relying solely on traditional elements (such as degrees, job titles, or past employment), this approach puts more emphasis on technical abilities and personal skills. The benefit of this new approach that it can eliminate personal bias from the hiring process.

Application materials are still an important step; however, standing out from other candidates requires building a tailored resume that emphasizes the skills you possess with data to back up your claims. 

If you’re asked to include a cover letter, you also have an opportunity to share examples of how you’ve built the most important skills needed with more context on the situation, your actions, and the result.

You’ll then be expected to demonstrate and/or describe your skills during the interview process. See our Job Interview Preparation Guide for tips on acing the interview.

Finally, you may also be asked to complete a task related to the position you’re seeking. Examples include:

  • Assessments, such as personality questionnaires or online skills tests.
  • A short assignment, such as copy editing a paragraph, designing a logo, or creating a brief presentation.
  • A case study that provides you with a prompt and asks you to describe how you would solve a problem, design a solution for a business need, or address a specific client request.

Building the “Right” Skills

How do you build the skills for your post-undergrad goals? And how do you know if they’re the right ones?

The good news is: Your degree program is already helping you build the skills most employers want. We know this because the National Association of Colleges + Employers (NACE) asks employers each year what skills they’re looking for as they hire recent graduates.

Take a look at the top five skills identified by employers for 2026:

  1. Ability to work in a team
  2. Problem-solving skills
  3. Communication skills (verbal)
  4. Technical skills
  5. Communication skills (written)

Eight Core Skills

Based on this annual survey of employers, NACE has developed a tool that identifies eight essential skills, or competencies, that undergraduates can build before graduating to be career- and employment-ready. Those competencies are:

  1. Career & Self-Development: Proactively managing your career and continuous learning.
  2. Communication: Clearly and effectively exchanging information.
  3. Critical Thinking: Analyzing and evaluating information to make informed decisions.
  4. Equity & Inclusion: Demonstrating the ability to work with diverse individuals and groups.
  5. Leadership: Inspiring and guiding individuals or teams to achieve goals.
  6. Professionalism: Demonstrating work ethic, integrity, and accountability.
  7. Teamwork: Collaborating effectively with others to achieve common goals.
  8. Technology: Using appropriate technology to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems.

Source: What is Career Readiness?

Skills Built Through Courses

Many of the skills listed above are built through your coursework. It can be useful to think about these skills when you reflect on a course, because some of your accomplishments may be perfect for your resume.

For example:

  • Communicating effectively with instructors, peers, and university staff.
  • Collaborating in a small group and using teamwork to create a final project.
  • Using critical thinking to analyze and evaluate research, articles, and other resources for a final paper.
  • Demonstrating equity and inclusion by collaborating successfully with peers and professors from diverse backgrounds and identity groups.
  • Displaying leadership through managing group projects, facilitating discussions, or leading activities.
  • Learning technology specific to your major or career goals, such as writing platforms, music production software, design tools, and more.

Other Ways to Build Skills

Of course, not every skill can be covered in the classroom. This is why gaining real-world experience can help you stand out when you interview. Career and professional development often take place when you expand your education through what is called experiential learning.

Real-World Learning

Learning out in the real-world, also called experiential learning, is a great way to build skills beyond the classroom. These are opportunities focused on building skills more aligned with a field of work. 

Options for experiential learning at UMass include:

Learn more about opportunities for HFA students.

Informational Interviewing

If you’re not sure what skills are most important for the career field or occupational role you have in mind, informational interviewing provides the perfect way to gather more intel. 

By identifying an alum, personal connection, or local individual who works in an industry or occupation you’re considering, you can request an informational interview in order to ask questions that will help you learn what qualifications are typically needed.

Learn more about setting up and conducting an informational interview.

Career and Self-Development

Career and self-development are lifelong processes – they are rarely linear, but instead cyclical or even somewhat winding.

HFA Career Services offers every HFA student direct access to:

  • Career exploration, including assessments and research strategies.
  • Career coaching on important skills, including resumes and cover letters, interviewing, and negotiation.
  • Career events designed to put you in touch with alums and local employers.
  • Individual advising for graduate school applications and processes.
  • Search support for finding internships, jobs, and other experiential learning opportunities.

To connect with an advisor, make an appointment with Genevra, Andre, or Lisa using Handshake.

Additional Resources