WHAT SKILLS AND QUALITIES ARE EMPLOYERS SEEKING?

Verity Orme [Oxford University, England] researched job ads to see which skills and personal traits employers of librarians in the UK wanted. Number one was professional experience (by a wide margin). Next were interpersonal and communication skills and general computing skills. Much farther down the list were enthusiasm, ability to work in teams, people skills, flexibility, and customer service skills. I am unpleasantly surprised that customer service skills was not more valued; it is conceivable that this was assumed and not mentioned in the job posting, but I doubt it.
You can read the entire article in Library and Information Update (CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) 7(3):30-33, March 2008.