Why People Get Hired!

By Robert G. Huffstutler

Senior Coordinator

Cooperative Education/Internship Program

Northern Illinois University

Ever wonder why one person gets hired and another doesn't? There's a common sense formula that answers this question. If your technical, transferable and relational skills are greater than your competition, you will be hired. Sounds simple, right? It is if you know what the different skills are and how to make them work for you.

"Can he get the job done?" and "Does she have what it takes?" means, does the person have the necessary skills? Possessing the right mix of skills is what employers use to make decisions about hiring. Stating you have the appropriate major, solid g.p.a., related work experience and other information doesn't get you hired. This information is used to prove that you possess the proper skills. You must claim you have the skills and then prove it if you wish to be successful. To better understand the formula, let's take a closer look at each skill.

Technical Skills

Since every job requires tasks be completed and the employee working on the task must have the appropriate technical skills to complete the task, it can be assumed that each individual possesses at least one technical skill. The person taking groceries off a pallet must be able to repeatedly lift heavy boxes. That is the employee's technical skill. Somewhere there is a person who cannot complete that task, therefore the person who can possesses a technical skill which helps get the job over another who can't.

Technical skills can be divided into three categories: Knowledge , the ability to understand concepts used in a task and how to put concepts to work; Jargon , the ability to understand the special language used in the field; and Tools, the ability to understand how to use equipment that will make completing a task possible.

For example, a basketball player must know how a lay-up shot is made and be able to repeatedly make the shot (Knowledge). He or she must know what "dribble the ball" means (Jargon). The player must know how to use a basketball, the basketball court and the basket (Tools).

Transferable Skills

Transferable skills, also known as characteristic traits, are the tools that guide your behavior. How you act is as important as what you know. If you're dependable, you exhibit a positive trait that will appear in every job you've had and will have. The trait automatically transfers with you. Transferable skills are classified as, the person is., for example, the person is hard-working, and the person uses., the person uses excellent communication skills.

Here's why transferable skills are important. When an employer hires you for a job, you bring a set of technical skills. Over time, those skills become obsolete. To keep up with the competition, the employer must continually change. If you fail to keep your technical skills current, the employer must decide to let you go or retrain you. The employer makes that decision based on your transferable skills, not your technical skills.

Relational Skills

The attitudes you bring to a job are your relational skills. There are three sub-categories. Your attitude toward the idea of working must match your supervisors and co-workers. If your attitude is higher or lower, a match isn't feasible.