With the job market seemingly more competitive than ever before, many of us are finding job hunting is taking longer than it ever has before 

According to research, 1 in 6 Brits are actively looking for a job, with 9.8 million employed people actively looking for a role every day in the UK, it is easy to see why it takes job hunters 4-months to find a new role.

But Dr George Sik, Founder eras.co.uk has revealed just what top employers look for when hiring their next employee – and it’s not necessarily skills or achievements. 

Dr George Sik believes that “Companies are often looking for different key behavioural traits linked to their most successful employees. These vary from role to role: some jobs require caution while others need risk takers. Some work alone and others as part of a team. Companies therefore are looking for candidates to show  that they demonstrate these.”

 Popular behavioural qualities sought by top employers include:

• Flexibility – Showcasing your ability to adapt or take-on changes. 

• Enthusiasm – A bad attitude, just like a positive one, can be infectious. Whatever has happened before the interview, make sure you focus on the positives 

• Eagerness to learn – Whatever stage of your career you are at, there is always space to learn, be it within your role, or from other senior leaders.Being honest about what you have accomplished, and what you’re willing to learn can go a long way.

• Organisation and planning – By bringing a notebook and pen, you show you’re willing to stay on top of the key details. Companies are always looking for dependable employees whom they can count upon.

• Initiative – Companies want to see candidates who are able to take projects forward and take workload and pressure from their manager – not add to it.

• Values – Take some time to check out the company values – both officially listed online and those that they demonstrate through their products, and consider how these align with yours. In fact, while most behaviours sought will be job specific, values will span any role within a particular organisation.

With these qualities in mind, Dr Sik reminded candidates “It is important not to become a sea of buzzwords, and show the real, but best, version of yourself. Interviewers meet hundreds of people asking similar questions so avoid using cliche one-liners and try to weave in examples of the above traits through your answers.

What dream companies look for in values during interviews:

Disney – Optimism, innovation, decency, quality, community, and storytelling.

Nandos – Pride, Passion, Courage, Integrity and Family

Nike – Community, Sustainability, Diversity’ and Social responsibility

Coca Cola – Leadership, Collaboration, Integrity, Accountability, Passion, Diversity, Quality

John Lewis –  Integrity, Quirky, Proud, Free to be ourselves

Greggs – Friendly, Inclusive, honest, respectful, hardworking and appreciative.

Nintendo – Flexibility, Uniqueness, Sincerity, Honesty

Innocent – commercial, responsible, natural, open-minded, unified

Netflix – High Performance, Collaborators, Openness and freedom, uncomfortably exciting, great and always better

GymShark – Accessible, inclusive and humble Caring, proactive, honest, trustworthy and genuine. ambitious, agile, disruptive.