Written Catherine Adenle
Know if you have the 8 most critical skills to ride your career wave to the max. If you want to ride your career wave noticeably well, you have to know that the most sought-after skills by recruiters in organisations are becoming less and less about your aptitude in specific technical areas. They are more about your general business judgement skills, your personal attributes and how you think things through and work within the context of a team or group.
For instance, there are several clever MBA holders about who struggle when they find themselves in a position of leadership in organisations especially when it comes to managing people. Recruiters are now more aware that while you may have all the qualifications necessary to get you a job and up the corporate ladder, you may not necessarily have the skills set to lead in the real business world.
“The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow”. – Rupert Murdoch
See Your MBA Doesn’t Make You a Born Leader
Now, organizations need high-quality hires that are able to perform in interdependent and complex business work environments. While a new hire’s skills and abilities significantly impact that hire’s performance, how the new hire applies those skills and abilities within the position’s work-relevant network is actually more impactful. This is where these 8 most critical skills to ride your career wave to the max come handy.
According to Rich Milgram, the Founder and CEO of Beyond.com, “The most sought-after skill-sets for recruiters are becoming less and less about proficiency in specific processes and coding languages and more about how you think systems through and work within the context of the team. Learning technology is the easy part. Having the mindset to apply it, having the mindset and logic to process it, being thorough and detail-oriented while doing so, these are the critical skills.”
Primarily, the world of work is changing at an ever-increasing pace so employers actively seek out employees who can adapt to changing circumstances and environments, and embrace new ideas. They see employees who are enterprising, resourceful and adaptable.
To check if you have the 8 most crucial skills to ride your career wave to the max, see the list of related questions below:
1. Strong Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills are the skills that a person uses to properly interact with other people. In the business domain, the term generally refers to an employee’s ability to get along with others while getting the job done.
See What Are Interpersonal Skills
See Samples of Interpersonal Skills Questions and Answers for Job Interviews
To succeed, companies need to be highly competitive within a global economy and thus be able to connect with various markets. “In a truly globally connected world, a worker’s skill set could see them posted in any number of locations—they need to be able to operate in whatever environment they find themselves,” according to Anna Davies, Devin Fidler and Marina Gorbis, authors of Future Work Skills 2020, published by the Institute for the Future for the University of Phoenix Research Institute
2. Change Management Skill
Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to the desired state.
3. Self-Development
This is the set of activities, tasks and study that an individual undertakes as they strive to improve their self-knowledge. The aim of self-development is to achieve your full potential whether in your professional or personal life.
See 11 Proven Ways to Demonstrate Your Value at Work
The world is changing rapidly and there are no excuses for not learning or utilising mobile learning for self-development. The transformation of the world into a ‘mobile world’ and the changes in work and workplace, are together presenting a great opportunity for self-learning and for all to transform the way they acquire knowledge.
Being part of a professional organization brings increased professionalism, autonomy, development and self-regulation while offering additional benefits such as social interactions, increase in knowledge and peer support.
See 10 Effective Ways to Manage Your Career in a Tech-Driven World
4. Adaptability
This is the ability to change (or be changed) to fit changed circumstances.
See 7 Undeniable Reasons Why Quick Adaptation to Change is Vital at Work
This is probably the most important skill you can have in and out of the workplace. Working with people whom you might not have similar interests can be a difficult task. Being able to adapt to any situation will not only allow you to be a better colleague but will help you to fit into the company culture which helps you be more successful and productive.
Kevin Watson, CEO and co-founder of jobdreaming, said small businesses don’t have room for people who just want to do their job and their job only.
“Employees that will get hired more easily and ultimately succeed are those that show an eager willingness to do whatever needs to get done, not just what’s in their job description.” – Kevin Watson
5. Communication
Simply put, communication is the act of transferring information from one place to another. It is the ability to express your ideas clearly and confidently in speech or writing.
See Communication Skills: Speaking and Listening
Communication is essential for every part of an organization to function effectively. There are multiple forms of communication that go on daily in an organization and being able to use each properly is critical. Some things can be addressed via email, in person, and others over the phone. Learning the proper way to communicate will create a dynamic work environment that will stand the test of time.
6. Business Skills and Industry Knowledge
See Self-Assessment of Business Skills Check List
See What Are Business Skills on Google Custom Search
7. Positive Attitude
A positive attitude will get you through those dark days when either colleagues nor your manager or external contacts seem to be biting your hooks.
See 7 Ways to Maintain a Positive Attitude
8. Teamwork Skills
As you must know, this skill is a no-brainer. Trust me; no one wants to hire anyone who refuses to fit into a team.
See How to be a Successful Team Player at Work
in terms of the 8 most critical skills to ride your career wave to the max, combination skills can dramatically affect your progression at work so having just a specialised skill is no more acceptable by employers. In the past, before cutbacks and downsizing, employers were satisfied once they find people who brought one highly specialized skill to the table. However, while this kind of hire still takes place, most employers will now go out of their way to hire those who bring multiple skills with them.
Finally, remember that you need tangible examples and pieces of evidence to demonstrate any of the skills above to a potential recruiter. The questions will allow you to think of pieces of evidence to back your claim.
Now that you know these 8 most critical skills to ride your career wave, do you know of other most critical skills required to progress further at work? Share them with us below in the form of a comment or simply share this article.
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9th skill dont be over 50 years of age... this is the most important of all your attributes