83% of Companies Say "Willingness to Learn" Essential for Job Applicants

83% of Companies Say "Willingness to Learn" Essential for Job Applicants

ORLANDO, July, 28th, 2021 - U.S. hiring decision-makers are looking for a willingness to learn, dependability, adaptability and initiative, among other soft skills, in what may be fallout from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

When considering applicants to hire for their company, U.S. hiring decision-makers commonly look for certain soft skills in their applicants. Specifically, more than 8 in 10 say willingness to learn (83%), dependability (82%) and/or communication skills (81%) are absolutely essential or very important when considering applicants.

More than 3 in 4 say problem-solving skills (79%), adaptability (78%) and/or initiative (78%) are of high importance. The focus on these attributes may in part be because more than half (57%) say their company had problems with low employee productivity during the coronavirus pandemic compared to before.

Returning physically to the office after so much time away also brings its challenges as employees adapt to sharing environments with coworkers once again.

Soft skills are much harder to teach than concrete knowledge, but those skills could be the difference between a hiring manager passing on a candidate or a job offer and progression up the career ladder, Express CEO Bill Stoller said.

"Those who are dependable, flexible, communicate well and get along with others offer the full package for employers looking to add quality employees to their workforce," he added.

Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between March 23 and April 12, 2021, among 1,001 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data was weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

The Orlando Express office is located at 2411 Sand Lake Rd Ste 100, Orlando, FL 32809. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to stop by, visit https://expresspros.com/OrlandoFL/ or call (407) 240-7633.