Old-fashioned work traits still matter

If you start reading articles about getting a job in computer technology, you might quickly conclude that most of the jobs have gone offshore and that even if you find someone hiring here, all that matters is your experience. Both of those conclusions would be false.

The U.S. is in the midst of a growing shortage of skilled computer technology workers, so jobs are increasingly plentiful. Great jobs are probably as hard to find now as they ever were, but they're also probably no harder. It's not a seller's market, but it is a marketplace full of opportunities.

Experience does matter, as does training, but so do several old-fashioned work traits: having a great attitude, being willing to work hard, being aggressive enough to be willing to try any assignment, not finding any job to be below you, being loyal, and being smart.

I write this as someone at a company that's now beginning to look for a few good people, but the opinion is not just mine; I hear it all the time from hiring managers at a wide variety of companies.

The work world has certainly changed a great deal, but the value of these traits persists.