Knowing what an employer is looking for in a potential employee can help an applicant to prepare for an interview.An interviewer for a major corporation was asked these questions: What specific skills are you looking for in applicants?And how do you identify these skills? He responded:

On the one hand,most important for us in the way of skills is the ability to communicate.Can people speak clearly? Can they articulate the kind of person they believe themselves to be? In what kind of work situations do they perform well? What are their strengths and weaknesses? We want to know about the personal qualities of the individual, so I try to ask questions to draw them but and attempt to find out if they have a sense of themselves. If they do have good communication skills, they will be able to do this logically and concisely.

On the other hand,I am looking for creativity.Can they be instinctive? I will ask some "off-the-wall" questions just to see if this throws them. How do they respond in these tough situations?Can they be creative with their answers? This is very important when they are out in business situations with customers. They will have to respond to very sudden changes and problem-solving situations that they are not necessarily familiar with, and I want to know if they can handle them.

了解雇主在潜在的雇员身上寻求什么有助于应聘者为面试做准备。一位大公司的面试官被问及这样的问题：你在应聘者身上寻求什么样的技能?你如何确认他们是否有这样的能力?他回答道：

一方面，在技能上对我们来说最重要的一点是沟通能力——应聘者是否能清楚地表达?他们是否能清楚地说明他们自己是什么样的人?在什么样的工作环境下他们能出色地发挥自己的水平?他们的优缺点是什么?我们想知道个人的品质，所以我要问些问题以探明他们的性格品质，并试图发现他们是否有自我意识。若他们确实有良好的交际能力，他们就能做到逻辑分明，简洁清晰地回答问题。

另一方面，我寻求创造力——他们是否有随机应变的能力?我会问一些古怪的问题来看看他们会不会为此慌乱、惊愕。在这样严峻的情况下，他们如何回答问题———他们的答案会具有创造性吗?这点在他们外出与客户会谈时相当重要。他们在情况迅速改变时及他们在不熟悉的情况下解决问题时，不得不做出一定的反应。