A short list appeared in the context of an article on
Christian colleges and several college ads in the March 2015 issue of
Christianity Today. It was titled
the Top 10 Qualities Employers Seek in a Candidate.
The list was purported to be the output of a 2013 employer
survey and included many of the usual suspects:
communication, teamwork, decision making, organization and
prioritization of work, information skills, proficiency with computer software,
writing skills, as well as the ability to influence others.
I doubt that lists from other sources would vary much. I doubt that such lists have varied much in
the past two decades.
Is there a problem with consistency?
Perhaps. What if
employers have been blind to one of the most defining qualities in a candidate? What if this blindness has become
institutionalized?
What was missing?
Honesty?
Integrity?
Faith?
Hope?
Love?
What? What could have
the bulk of employers in this nation have missed for so long that could be
brought to light now?
How about efficacy!
Efficacy? Most
employers and job candidates don’t even know what the word means.
Efficacy is the power to effect desired change. When working with others, we might call it
leadership; however, for new hires the power to effect desired change in one’s
self is of utmost importance.
Job applicants that come out of college or the military or
other sources come with a specific set of knowledge, skills, and abilities. In most cases, they have one thing in common.
They won’t be enough.
Education, experience, and work history can only take you so
far. You must be able to make desired
changes as you take on greater responsibilities and positions. You must be able to make desired changes in
yourself.
Sometimes that is more education. Sometimes it is becoming more assertive. Often it involves becoming a better listener
or a better delegator of tasks and responsibilities. Sometimes the task master must learn to be
the trainer or inspector.
Some folks find difficulty in adapting and hold on to their
initial skill set as if it were sacred.
Others understand that degrees and certificates form the starting blocks
and not the finish line.
The power to effect desired change in one’s self—self efficacy—might
just be the most needed quality in a candidate for a job and it did not even
make the list.
The casual observer might just chalk this up to the casualties
of the modern job market. The candidate
looking to separate from the crowd might just highlight this quality of
self-efficacy on his or her resume and have sufficient examples to back it up
during interviews.
The candidate with the power of self-efficacy seldom remains
a candidate for long. These are the
take charge men and women who find the best jobs and are always contending for
promotion.
