Here are the four big traits you need to embody to swing the balance in your favor and land the job. It’s important to keep the right balance of representing yourself as positively as possible and not seeming like a self-important jerk. It’s the art of the humble brag. Pick your spots wisely and let the likeable you surface.

1. Get’s Along Well With Others.

It’s not what you know but how well you get along with all the different people who know the different things that you need to know to get things done. That was a mouthful, but companies that excel are ones with quick, efficient collaboration. Human negotiation is key. So how do you espouse these traits? You have to be good at small talk, because small talk is what leads to big talk.

2. Shows Passion.

Energy is important. It’s the fuel that gets jobs done. Especially as a new employee you need a lot of it. You’re going to face learning curves and you’re going to need to run on your own power. So be sure to show you have it.

3. Hard Worker.

Don’t go to the interview without a good example of how your hard work led to great results. It’s more important than dazzling them with your brilliance. The thing people fear most about hiring someone new is that it’s going to be a lot of work to train that person and keep them on track. Showing that you’re ready to work hard helps allay these fears.

4. Likeable.

Nice guys don’t finish last. Overall, hiring managers are going to choose someone they think everyone will like, unless they’re trying to punish their crew — which is unlikely. So displays of warmth, smiles, not being too much of a braggart. You get the idea. These things go a long way.

Skills are important. As a baseline you need to have the right skills to land the interview that helps you land the job. These four traits above are the real differentiators in the interview. Hiring managers are going to want to know what you’re like to work with more than anything else.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.