For many people today, a career for life is no longer an option. Most people
will hold jobs with a variety of employers and move across different employment
sectors through their working life.
We all need to be flexible in our
working patterns and be prepared to change jobs and/or sectors if we believe
there are better opportunities elsewhere.
In
order to be flexible we need a set of 'transferable skills'
– skills that are not specific to one particular career path but are generic
across all employment sectors.
The Job Skills
Employers are Looking For
Employers are often looking for skills
that go beyond qualifications and experience.
While your education and experience may make you eligible to apply
for a job, to be successful in the role you will need to exhibit a mix of
skills: ‘employability skills’. This means that the specialist, technical
skills associated with different roles may be less important than the 'soft
skills' that can be transferred between different jobs and different employment
sectors.
For employers, getting the right people means identifying people
with the right skills and qualities to fulfil the role and contribute to the
organisation's success. Candidates may have the qualifications and 'hard
skills' needed to be able to manage the job role but, without a well-honed set
of 'soft skills', employers are less inclined to hire.
What are
Employability Skills?
Employability skills are those skills
necessary for getting, keeping and being successful in a job.
They are the skills and attitudes that enable employees to get
along with their colleagues, to make critical decisions, solve problems,
develop respect and ultimately become strong ambassadors for the organisation.
Employability or ‘soft skills’ are the
foundation of your career building blocks and they are frequently referenced in
the media as lacking in school-leavers, graduates and those already in
employment. Organisations spend a lot of time and money training staff,
not in job specific areas but in general and basic skills.
In times of high unemployment,
employers have more choice of applicants and will favour those with
well-rounded employability skills.
Interpersonal
Skills
Interpersonal skills are vital when
seeking employment and may be the single most important factor for many
recruiters.
Interpersonal skills are the skills we use to interact with other
people. Good interpersonal skills allow you to participate effectively as a
member of a team, satisfy customers and clients' expectations, negotiate, make
decisions, manage your time efficiently, take responsibility, and work
effectively with other employees. Well-honed interpersonal skills allow
us to empathise and build rapport with colleagues and clients, leading to a
better working environment which can be less stressful.
Communication
Skills
Employers look for people who
communicate well both verbally and in writing.
If you are either applying for a job or looking for a promotion
with your current employer, you will need to demonstrate good communication
skills. The ability to communicate both verbally and in writing with a wide
variety of people, maintain good eye contact, write clearly and succinctly,
demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to your audience are
all essential skills that employers seek out. Good verbal and written
communication means you can get your messages across with less chance of
misunderstanding.
Similarly, active listening skills involve not only hearing but
gaining and understanding information. Listening is a basic requirement leading
to fewer mistakes and a greater understanding of the needs of employer and
client. As your career progresses, the importance of communication skills
increases since as well as creativity, people skills, and an aptitude for
teamwork, the ability to speak and write with clarity and conciseness is
essential for managers.
Critical
Thinking Skills
The ability to solve problems and make
decisions can be a huge asset to your employer and these are therefore
desirable skills to develop.
Decision making and problem solving require gathering reliable
information, evaluating the information for a variety of solutions and
selecting the most appropriate option based on the criteria and situation.
Although the ability to solve problems and make appropriate decisions are
critical in any job, people with these skills are especially helpful in
customer service positions.
The ability to be able to effectively plan and organise means that
you, or your team, are more likely to get the job done correctly the first
time. These skills are beneficial to employers as they save time and
money. Planning and organisation also require the recording of information
(maybe in a report) which can be referred to when planning future projects.
Creative thinkers are innovative and inventive and are more likely
to devise new ways of doing things that add value to the work environment,
making systems and procedures more efficient. Creative thinkers can offer
new perspectives about the job and the company.
Personal
Development
Personal development is all about having the right attitude towards work and
the organisation you work for. Employers look for people who are keen to
develop and learn.
Lifelong learners are always valued in organisations. In order to
stay ahead of the competition, organisations need to continually learn and
develop better ways of doing things. The employee who is open to learning and
embraces change will be more successful than the person who is afraid of
learning and resistant to changes in the organisation. Most jobs involve
change, some more frequently than others, and employers want people who are adaptable,
flexible, and patient, and respond who well to change. See our pages: Lifelong Learning and Organisational Change for more information.
Personal development is also concerned with how individuals evolve
their working practices and attitudes to work. Self-motivation and
confidence are key areas of personal development as is personal appearance and
how others perceive you. Self-management skills, also known as
‘self-control’, are the skills we use to manage our personal feelings and how
we react to challenges and problems both at work and in our private
lives. Personal development includes learning to avoid potentially
negative emotions such as anger and stress while developing assertiveness and
effective negotiation skills.
Presentation
Skills
Presenting information clearly and
effectively is a key skill in the work place and presentation skills are
required in almost every modern employment area.
Whether you are an administrator, manager or executive, you should
expect to present your ideas and findings to your work colleagues and external
stakeholders. Presenting information does not just include making formal
presentations - information could be presented in the form of notes, reports,
research findings, business plans, scenario planning, risk assessments and
strategic documents. You may well be asked to give a presentation as part
of your initial interview.
Leadership
Leadership is the ability to influence
others toward the achievement of a goal.
Leaders either have, or are perceived to have, strong
self-confidence. Leaders are team players, allowing them to work in a group to
achieve the best results for their employer. Leaders show social skills by
respecting the thoughts, opinions and ideas of others - they gain the respect
of others and aim for credibility.
The latest QS recruitment survey (2010) lists the four most
important skills sought by executive level recruiters as interpersonal skills,
communication skills, strategic thinking and leadership ability. Developing
your leadership skills can therefore not only help you to find a senior
position, but may also help you to gain promotion with your current employer.
Numeracy
(Number Skills)
Numeracy involves an understanding of
numerical data, statistics and graphs, and is also part of making decisions and
reasoning.
Numeracy skills are very important, irrespective of whether you consider
a job to be "working with numbers". Having competence
and being confident in working with numbers is a skill that can be used to your
advantage in a wide range of employment settings: for example, knowing how
profitable a company is, understanding value for money when purchasing and
ordering supplies, following a budget or just calculating your holiday time.
Being able to understand and analyse data in different formats is considered an
essential skill in many organisations.
IT
Skills
Most people need some IT skills to find work today. Acquiring
basic IT skills and being familiar with using a computer may open up a wide
range of employment opportunities and increase your marketability in the
workplace.
It is likely that a modern job will require you to be familiar
with at least some computer applications. Computer literacy means understanding
what computers can and cannot do. Even if you know that you will not be using a
computer in your job, it is well worth your while learning some of the basics
of information technology, for example how to send and receive emails, use the
internet effectively, and use word processor and spreadsheet software.
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