Recruiters Seek Diverse Skills

Joan Burrelli, Mary Funke


IN CHEMISTRY October/November 1994
(Reproduced with permission.)


Downsizing, corporate restructuring, globalization, flattening of management, mergers. These are factors that are affecting how corporate America works. These factors also affect what employers seek in new hires.

During the fall and spring ACS national meetings the Department of Career Services sponsored the "Recruiters Panel." Recruiters from different types of industries met to discuss several issues, including what they look for in a candidate. The recruiters were consistent in saying they look for people who have skills and abilities beyond technical skills. They are particularly looking for chemists who have:

Employers want people who have a good grounding in chemistry and a thorough knowledge of an area, but who are also flexible enough to change when the company changes its focus.

Because of increased global competition and pressures to downsize, companies are eliminating excess layers of management. All employees are expected to be more responsible for their own work. Thus, companies are looking for people who have leadership sklls (not necessarily managerial skills) and who can take the initiative on a project to follow it through to the end. Applicants should have an orientation toward results. Employees need the ability to operate in a decisive, urgent, and committed way and to deliver superior results that are sustainable and measurable.

Because companies are moving toward "seamless" organizations in which departments and other organizational units are more interdependent, they rely more on an interdisciplinary team approach rather than a hietarchical system of management. This reliance on teams results in a greater need for interpersonal skills and for skills in communicating needs and ideas across disciplines. Employers are looking for interdisciplinary problem-solving skills, which are increasingly needed for the success of interdisciplinary teams.

Companies want applicants to have a business sense-- the ability to understand key relationships among markets, customers, and competitors. They want research that is business relevant. Employees need to understand customer needs and how to solve customer problems, combined with a strong desire to continually improve customer satisfaction. They are particularly looking for people who have prior industrial experience, either through co-op or internships, or through other work experience.--