In a survey of hiring managers, about 85% said having a strong work ethic was the most important skill for a perspective employee to have.  Most companies are hiring talent based on soft skills like attitude and hard work, with the hope that they can train them to be up to par on things like tech skills and industry knowledge, said David Bell, Instructures vice president of corporate markets.

"Employers bringing in new hires are more concerned with how hard they''re going to work than the technical abilities they bring to the table, new research finds.

When hiring entry-level employees, managers place a higher importance on soft skills such as attitude and work ethic than on hard trade skills, according to a study from Instructure, a software-as-a-service company.

The research revealed that overall employers place a greater emphasis on finding and hiring workers with skills that are difficult or impossible to be taught. Most of the managers surveyed said attitude and work ethic are the most important considerations when choosing a new hire, while 79 percent said a candidates prestigious schooling was the least important consideration."