# 4 things Employers Look For **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2014, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157 "2014-04-02T11:52:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/41 "2014-04-04T12:23:27Z")
I recently sat on a panel where I had to convince the other panel members that one applicant “wouldn’t go postal,” if appointed, so apparently that is a no-no. He hasn’t gone postal so far, but I work in another office and am eagerly monitoring the death rate where he works. ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/42 "2014-04-04T12:42:17Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Yeah, people often act like its them doing the employer a favor by working there instead of vise versa. That could be the case if all of your coworkers are idiots, or relatives. ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/43 "2014-04-04T12:43:45Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I read a while back that it works quite well in Germany. Of course, people have two of these jobs. I would definitely handle two 20 hr jobs better than one 40 hr. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/44 "2014-04-04T15:02:13Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > What makes you think most employees aren’t “cogs” in some form or another? I mean for all this talk of “high achieving talent”, what do 99% of employees actually “achieve” in their job? I find this amusing, because here I work, “cog” is “cognizant engineer,” the professional in charge of a given task. The person is either a scientist or a licensed professional engineer. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/45 "2014-04-04T17:05:05Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I find this amusing, because here I work, “cog” is “cognizant engineer,” the professional in charge of a given task. The person is either a scientist or a licensed professional engineer. Do you work for Cognizant, the 171,000 person IT outsourcing and consulting firm? ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/46 "2014-04-04T18:53:19Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Actually, I have never heard of any employer doing that, and I’ve been in computers for a long time. There is little to no expectation that programmers have any longevity at any company. Technology changes very quickly and work tends to be project based. Startups form quickly and run out of steam just as quickly. Unless you work at a rapidly rising Facebook or Amazon or your on the partner path at a tech consulting firm like, Accenture, tech workers frequently change companies to follow the newest and most interesting projects. Companies protect themselves by having their employees sign non-competes and non-disclosures, not by “keeping them away from the most advanced systems”. I have. One guy I knew WalMart wanted him to work in their corporate IT office in Bentonville. Only they wouldnt let him work on their most advanced systems he was told. When I was a computer operator it want the company but senior employees did what they could to keep newer employees from learning the advanced systems so they always could keep their jobs. But I get what your saying and you no doubt have more industry insight than I do. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/47 "2014-04-04T20:07:18Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > And remain sober. EVERY work day. Not if you work for Sterling Cooper, by God. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/48 "2014-04-07T15:44:03Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Do you work for Cognizant, the 171,000 person IT outsourcing and consulting firm? No, it’s a government safety agency. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157/49 "2014-04-07T16:58:25Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Do you work for Cognizant, the 171,000 person IT outsourcing and consulting firm? > [@Sailboat](#): > > No, it’s a government safety agency. Do you work _ **WITH** _ **Cognoscant** , SDMB user #151574? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-things-employers-look-for/685157.md?page=2)