If you’re looking for a way to set yourself apart from the rest of the resumes out there, you need to think beyond your degree and your certifications. Start thinking about the top skills employers want. Most people who apply to a position have the training required to do the job but it is your soft skills that can put you at the top of the list.
Here are the top five skills that employers always look out for in candidates like you;
1. Communication Skills
One of the top skills employers look out for is communication skills. You may have great ideas, creative solutions, and great techniques but with poor communication skills you can’t get your ideas across to others. Even if you work remotely and do the majority of your work on a computer, you need to be able to communicate effectively with co-workers, bosses, and clients. From the words you choose to the subject lines of your emails, how effectively you communicate can be a benefit or roadblock to your career. Keep in mind, sometimes non-verbal communication is equally as important.
2. Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills
It’s no secret why hiring managers value teamwork as highly as they do. No matter what your job is, you most likely have to work with others frequently. This includes sharing ideas, collaborating on projects and working together to find solutions to problems.Those who struggle to accept others’ input and cooperate on a regular basis can generate an air of resentment in the office. Others become frustrated and the company could even lose good employees.
3. Critical Thinking
Critical thinkers look beyond the basic information in front of them at all times because there may be a better way that they just haven’t seen yet. This is the kind of candidate hiring managers want to see when they look at your resume or interact with you during an interview. When you are a critical thinker you will deal with analysis, not emotion. They don’t simply adhere to tradition or gut feelings, they do research and are able to present solutions along with data to back up their ideas. In short, you don’t present information unless you’ve thoroughly vetted it yourself. It’s a form of taking responsibility for your work.
4. Organization Skills
To every employer, an organized employee is an efficient employee.Are you a person who respects organization skills? then it will be easier for your manager to understand your work process. With good organisation skills, you will become your boss’s favourite when it comes to getting things done and in an orderly manner.
5. Punctuality
Do what you say you will do and at the per-established time and you will be branded as punctual. This includes; showing up to the office on time, regardless of your commute and being present at meetings when it’s supposed to start. It means you are on the conference call by the time it’s supposed to begin.
If time is money, a person who does not take punctuality seriously is like a slow leak in the company’s finances. Punctuality is not just a skill employers are looking for but also a choice you should make to be successful.
Now that you have these tips in mind, you should stop at nothing to show to your potential employer on both your CV and during your interview these skills that you have developed. Remember, it takes much more than just your graduate certificate to become desirable.
Do you have any more skills you’re developing alongside these? Tell us in the comment section below?
