Recruiters and future managers look at professional knowledge and personal qualities — the so-called hard and soft skills.
Employers value openness to unexpected points of view. In the US, it is not customary to criticize someone else’s opinion. Usually, they ask why a person thinks this way and not otherwise. And if your colleague said that bacteria do not exist, do not rush to enter into a discussion with him. Observe, try to reason with him on this topic without judgment — this is what the locals do in such cases.
In addition, it is necessary to be able to adapt to uncertainty. Be prepared to change managers, and with them — colleagues, tasks and goals. The skill of adaptation will come in handy for work in any country, but especially in America.
It is impossible to list all the requirements for each profession. I will recommend ways to find out about them:
- Study vacancies — the requirements are written directly in the text.
- Subscribe to the profiles of authoritative experts in your field on LinkedIn and follow their posts: what skills are in their profile, what is indicated in their portfolio, what conferences do they attend.
- Write to people in your profession and ask about their hard skills. In the States, LinkedIn is a popular social network, so many actively use it and respond to messages about work. They often indicate email addresses and links to social networks – you can contact them there.
There are also several unspoken rules in the US: If you promise, do it. If you don’t know how to do it, it’s better to clarify, rather than do it at random.
You need to independently look for ways to improve your qualifications, without waiting for an offer from management.