Deb Ballentine is the Plant Manager at Corning Life Sciences in Oneonta, manufacturers of injection molded parts for the medical device industry.

They service academia, research and development and major pharmaceutical companies for drug development, and are one of the largest employers in the area. We asked her what she looks for in an employee.

"Two things. The fundamental skills that they bring to the workplace are a basic requirement. But, even bigger than that is wanting to work."

"We are very proud that in our facility, the absentee rate is very, very low," she continues. "We work a 3-shift operation, 5 days a week. Sometimes we work on the weekends. When people don't show up for work that puts us in a bind. Can we meet the demand? And do we have to cause other people to work overtime, which incurs cost for us?"

Ballentine advises that any candidate for employment at Corning understand, "Work ethic is a really important thing that the person either needs to demonstrate via their discussion through the interview or prior work record."

"Work ethic is really important to us."

"The other thing that's important," adds Ballentine, "is the willingness to work with others. All of our jobs are dependent upon each other. It's not that we have cadres of little teams, but we also don't work independently. So people have to be willing - they don't have to like them - but they certainly have to be willing to work together."

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