What do employers want?

YOU, of course! Well, hopefully – if you bring your best “you” to the table when applying and interviewing for the internship and while on the internship itself. How can you be sure you are doing that? There is a set of characteristics known as “The Big 5” personality traits that tend to be consistent among successful employees no matter the industry. You can cultivate these in yourself to be sure you are fitting the employer’s bill.

The Big 5 consist of these desirable employee personality traits:

• • Extraversion – effectively communicative, energetic, assertive
  • Agreeableness – understanding, helpful, supportive, kind
  • Conscientiousness – organized, thorough, systematic
  • Emotional Stability – empathic, even-keeled, self-secure
  • Openness to Experience – wide interests, imaginative, insightful

The Big 5 are broad success factors that give your insight into yourself in a way that could be summarized by the question “Would I want me as an intern?” Learn more about the Big 5 by taking the quiz below! Another buzzword in human resources is “value-added.” Employers have many applicants to choose from with similar technical expertise in their given field, so they look for applicants that have something extra, such as public speaking, customer service, or bilingual skills. What additional value can you bring as an intern or job applicant?

View the links on the right to see additional information.