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Many employers consider attitude to be the single most important qualification for a new employee, regardless of the specific position that person will fill. Here are some quotes from Human Resource professionals related to what behaviors tend to reflect a "good attitude":

• "What can I do for your company?" – (NOT, "What can the company do for me?")
• "I’m confident, but not cocky" -- open to receiving instruction and learning new skills, not a person who thinks they "know it all".
• "I’m a team player" -- able to get along with co-workers and support a group effort, willing to share credit/praise.

Employers obviously look for candidates who possess skills enabling them to perform essential job functions. Some ways that employers look for evidence of job skills include:

• A successful work history: evidence that a person has successfully performed work requiring similar skills (whether paid or unpaid).
  
• Problem-solving ability: examples how a person identified and solved a problem. Many employers put a high value on a person’s ability to find creative solutions to problems.
  
• Educational qualifications: a person is able to demonstrate basic competence in relevant skills through completion of formal or informal education and training.
  
• Contribution to profits: it may be important to show how a person helped an employer save money or increase revenues.
  
• Customer focus: some employers want to see examples of how a person met or exceeded customers’ expectations.

For a person with a disability, the demonstration of job skills may be a challenge, particularly if s/he has limited work experience. One-Stop centers can assist employers by helping them identify "essential job functions" to ensure they focus on the right skills. One-Stop centers can assist job seekers by providing coaching in how to demonstrate skills in variety of ways.

Another highly valued attribute is a person’s ability to communicate. That doesn’t necessarily mean the person must be able to write and speak well; it also relates to an employee’s willingness to talk with a supervisor about his or her job performance, a willingness to accept criticism, and ability to provide productive feedback. Many employees either succeed or fail at a job, because they were either willing or unwilling to engage in productive, two-way communications with their employer.

For a person with a disability, this may also mean a willingness to openly discuss his or her disability and need for a job accommodation. One-Stop centers can assist employers by coaching them on effective ways to communicate with an employee with a disability (see "It Starts Here! –Disability Etiquette Guide") One-Stop centers can assist job seekers by conducting role-play sessions to teach clients how to accept direction, respond to criticism, and provide meaningful feedback to employers.

One of the main factors that determine how successful an employee will be in a job, is their ability to learn the skills necessary to meet job performance standards. Employers often look for evidence that a person is able to learn new skills based on:

• Career growth history: did the person get promoted to progressively more challenging positions, requiring new knowledge and skills?
• Grades earned in an education/training program: how did the person perform in classes taken as part of an educational or vocational training program?
• Test scores on skills/aptitude tests: how did the person score on standardized tests?

A person with a disability may be at a disadvantage in this area due to: Limited work experience or opportunities for advancement due to disability. Did not attend traditional educational/training programs, so grades won’t reflect an "apples to apples" fair comparison with other job candidates. Traditional testing methods may not accommodate some types of disabilities, so aptitude test scores may not accurately reflect the person’s ability to learn. One-Stop centers can assist employers by providing guidance on how to accommodate persons with disabilities when administering pre-employment skills and aptitude tests. centers can assist job seekers with disabilities by referring individuals to qualified specialists for skills assessment/testing; test results can be presented to prospective employers to demonstrate person’s capacity for learning new skills.

Most employers have either a formal or informal dress code, based on their type of business, location, and customers. While what type of dress/appearance may vary depending on workplace culture, the safest approach for a prospective employee is to present a neat, clean, well-groomed and conservative appearance during the interview process.

One-Stop centers can assist employers by gaining an understanding of the employer’s expectations and guidelines for appropriate dress. One-Stop centers can assist job seekers by: providing classes on appropriate dress providing funds for person to buy appropriate clothing (if qualified)

One of the most important attributes of a successful employee is the ability to get along with co-workers, to contribute to a harmonious, productive workplace. It’s for that reason that many employers place considerable value on a person’s social skills. Interviewers often consider the question, "would this person be fun to have around?"

A person with a disability may have underdeveloped social skills due to limited exposure to social situations. WorkSoure centers can assist employers by providing sensitivity training, to help increase their understanding and tolerance of persons whom may seem "different" in terms of social behavior. One-Stop centers can help individuals acquire social skills by encouraging them to: attend job fairs and workshops enroll in classes perform volunteer work attend social events network—make efforts to meet new people

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