What Employers Wish Job Seekers Knew

By Tabitha Keith, Director of Programs, Heart for Winter Haven

One of my favorite parts of leading Jobs for Life is getting to sit down with employers across Winter Haven.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I ask them the same question:

"What are you looking for in an employee?"

When I first started asking, I expected to hear things like experience, certifications, or technical skills.

Instead, I heard something that surprised me.

Over and over again, employers said some version of the same thing:

"We can teach the job. What we can't teach is character."

The more employers I talked to, the more I realized they weren't just hiring for what someone could do. They were hiring for who someone was becoming.

They wanted people who showed up on time because they respected others. People who were honest, even when they made a mistake. People who were willing to learn instead of pretending they had all the answers. People who brought encouragement instead of drama. One employer told me, "I can teach someone to run the equipment. I can't teach them to care."

That changed the way I think about work.

What we focus on shapes how we experience and respond to the world. If we focus only on building our résumé, we'll spend all our energy collecting skills. But if we focus on becoming trustworthy, teachable, and dependable, we'll become the kind of people employers are eager to invest in.

The Bible understood this long before there were job interviews or performance reviews. Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

Our reputation is built long before we ever submit a résumé.

It's built in the promises we keep. The way we respond to correction. Whether we take responsibility or make excuses. How we treat people when no one is watching.

I've also learned something encouraging through these conversations. Employers aren't looking for perfect people. They know everyone has something to learn. What they notice is whether someone is growing.

Are they willing to ask questions? Can they receive feedback without becoming defensive? Do they finish what they start? Do they make the workplace better for the people around them?

Those are the qualities that open doors.

This is especially encouraging for someone entering the workforce, changing careers, or rebuilding after a difficult season. You may not have the strongest résumé in the room, but you can begin building strong character today. And over time, character often creates opportunities that experience alone cannot.

One step to take this week:

Choose one area of your character to strengthen at work. Maybe it's arriving a few minutes early each day. Maybe it's following through on every commitment you make. Maybe it's responding to feedback with curiosity instead of defensiveness. Small acts of faithfulness have a way of becoming the reputation people remember.

At Heart for Winter Haven, this is why Jobs for Life is about more than helping people find employment. We want people to become the kind of employees every employer hopes to hire. We've seen firsthand that when people grow in character, confidence, communication, and responsibility, they don't just find jobs. They build careers, strengthen families, and contribute to a healthier community.

What kind of reputation are you building, and what would your coworkers or employer say they can count on you for?

Interested in developing the qualities employers value most? Learn more about Jobs for Life and other Elevate programs at heart4wh.org/elevate.