Job Outlook: What Do Employers Look for in Candidates?

Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, January 6, 2010

With the state of the job market leading employers to have higher expectations for the candidates they hire, there is increased emphasis on grade point average (GPA). More employers are screening candidates for GPA than at any other time over the past five years. Currently, nearly three out of four say they screen for GPA, according to responses to the Job Outlook 2010 survey.

Approximately 95 percent of those who use GPA reported their cutoff; 63 percent of respondents cited 3.0, the same cutoff point since 2003 when NACE first collected the information.

However, a high GPA is just one component employers consider in their candidates. And if two candidates are equally qualified, what helps employers choose between them? Based on attributes provided in the survey, a student’s leadership experience has a slight edge over other factors. The top factors are as follows:

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  Has held leadership position
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  Major
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  High GPA (3.0 or above)
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  Has been involved in extracurricular activities
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  School attended
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  Has done volunteer work

Responding employers were able to add to the list of attributes likely to influence them to hire one candi­date over another, and more than one-quarter did so. In examining the other write-in attributes, it is evident that employers see a tremendous value in the experience that a candidate possesses. For example, a total of 25 respondents indicated that a candidate’s previous internship experience would influence their hiring decision.

Not only do employ­ers prefer candidates with experience, but they also prefer can­didates with relevant work experience. When asked about the preferred source of that experience, more than half cited internships and co-ops.