It may not necessarily matter where you went to school or what grades you got because at the end of an interview, it might just come down to attitude. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) found that employers are placing a greater value on attitude than academic scores when recruiting young people.
The Job Outlooks survey asked employers about their hiring intentions for the upcoming quarter, as well as next year. Approximately 200 employers were surveyed and almost half of them said attitude was the most important factor when hiring a young person. A mere four percent of the employers cited specific academic milestones as an important factor when hiring.
Some human resources experts say that qualifications can be a great indicator of ability but attitude tends to show whether initiative exists.
These findings support research conducted last year by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.   The UKCES found that 38% of employers actually rejected certain applicants because they lacked a “professional hard-working attitude”.
The REC’s survey did provide a very positive outlook for the job market. Many of the employers said they planned to increase their permanent staff in the next three months.
This is actually the best time to be a young person coming into the job market because of all the opportunities opening up. Employer hiring intentions are at a high and other employers are considering taking on more staff.