MANILA - Attitude is the number one factor that employers look for in a fresh graduate before they decide whether to hire him or her, results of a Jobstreet.com survey released Wednesday showed.

An applicant's field of study was the second top criteria, followed by asking salary, according to the recruitment portal's 2016 poll of employers.

"The employers are now realizing that I'd rather have fresh graduates who will stay in the office, especially if they have a positive attitude, because I can see more productivity coming," Philip Gioca, country manager of JobStreet.com Philippines, told ABS-CBN News.

In 2015, the top factors in hiring fresh grads were internship experience, extra-curricular skills and part-time jobs.

After a fresh graduate is hired, employers said they are impressed the most by willingness to learn, followed by personal grooming and effectiveness as team players, the most recent study said.

Asked what fresh graduate needed to brush up on, employers said new hires should learn how to analyze situations and improve their English language and problem-solving abilities.