GREENFIELD — Innovation, communication, curiosity and attention to detail were among the qualities considered most desirable in prospective new hires, according to a panel of local employers who spoke at Greenfield Community College Wednesday afternoon.
For Judy Herrell, owner of Herrell’s Ice Cream in Northampton, missing a seemingly trivial detail such as leaving milk out for too long could hamper operations at the popular dessert stop and cost it money, while Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. said his officers need to be well-spoken and well-written, pay attention to important details and swallow their own pride to get the job of keeping the community safe done.
Other panelists included Community Action executive director and former Northampton mayor Clare Higgins, Baystate Franklin President and CEO Cindy Russo, Lisa Davol from the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Naomi Lewis of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, and Peter Garbus, the principal of Four Rivers Charter Public School.
The discussion was moderated by GCC Dean of Humanities Leo Hwang.
GCC President Bob Pura said the event was planned after a study conducted this year that surveyed more than 125 businesses, towns, cities, nonprofit organizations and schools on the college learning outcomes they value the most when hiring recent graduates.
Most said they value communication skills, teamwork, ethical decision making, critical thinking and other cross-discipline skills that are developed though a liberal arts education.
The study mirrored the results of similar national and state reports, Pura said, and the panel was convened to allow for a deeper look into the local employer’s responses.
“It’s important to get the voices of individual employers to talk to you about what they look for,” Pura told the audience gathered in the library’s solarium.
Russo, of Baystate Franklin, said she looks for employees who have great insight into their own skills and limitations, but are willing to listen to outside advice from others.
She said flexibility, adaptability, innovation and risk-taking — not just the clinical aspects of the health care field — are equally important. People skills and customer service expertise are still critical, even in an age of high technology, she said.
“Though there’s so much high tech out there, our professionals will always need to attend to the needs of our patients,” she said.
Curious, initiative and able to problem solve topped Higgins’ list of crucial qualities. She wants employees who can speak with her organization’s clients, identify their particular problems and seek out the solutions that’ll work for them.
“Why is that person getting evicted, and how can I help?” she gave as an example. “Education can’t stop when you leave (college). We look for those people.”
Garbus looks for people who can work independently and jump at the opportunity to take on a task, but understand that sometimes it’s important to be able to have a quick check-in with a supervisor and bounce a few questions off of them.
Herrell needs her hires to be punctual and professional, especially as a member of a team of employees who depend on those attributes being present in their peers.
“We need two employees to open. You’re late. How does that affect the business?” she said. “You have a 6 p.m. shift, and the person before you can’t leave until you’re on the floor and ready to work. How does that affect your coworkers?”
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