Here are the various skills that employers look for when hiring a draughtsman.

1. Qualifications: Most technical institutes and community colleges offer post-secondary school training in drafting. Candidates who have successfully completed such training are preferred by employers.

2. Certification: Although certification is not mandatory for draughtsman jobs, applicants who have passed the Drafter Certification Test do have an edge over uncertified candidates.

3. Artistic ability: The main job of a draughtsman is to provide physicality to the ideas of designers and engineers. It is thus essential that the candidate has an immense flair for drawing, and is specifically able to draw intricate and detailed plans.

4. Mechanical and visual aptitude: Being able to visualize the ideas of engineers and architects in three dimensional scope, and then accurately transforming these ideas into drawings is a must-have ability for draughtsmen.

5. Manufacturing and construction knowledge: Knowledge of such methods is very helpful in order to understand the ideas of architects and thus convert them onto paper.

6. Computer skills: Till a few years back, all drafting work was done manually. Most draughtsmen drew their detailed plans on paper with the help of technical pens and other drafting tools. Nowadays however, drafting is done with the help of computers. Drafting software such as AutoCAD (Automatic Computer Aided Design) is now used by draughtsmen. It is thus imperative that candidates have computer skills I order to make use of such software.

7. Good interpersonal skills: As a draughtsman has to work directly with surveyors, designers, engineers, and architects, and sometimes also with consumers, good interpersonal skills are quite useful.

Thus, candidates who have overall well-developed drafting skills, mechanical drawing abilities, good understanding of drafting standards, and have workable computer skills are preferred by prospective employers.