Common Skills Sought by Employers

No matter what you do for a living, there are some skills that employers look for in all their employees.

• Basic skills, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Yes, spelling and grammar do matter. Employers are seeking employees who can read well, write coherently, and perform business math calculations. They are also looking for people who have basic keyboard skills, computer literacy, and ability to use office equipment.
• Personal skills-These include speaking, answering questions, interacting effectively with customers, and providing good customer service. To be successful, you must be capable of positive communications with customers, coworkers, subordinates, and managers. In other words, the ability to play nice in the sandbox is essential to your success.
• Job search skills. Employers are seeking employees who know how to present themselves in a positive manner and who display enthusiasm and knowledge about the companies they approach. Not only do candidates get evaluated on their skills and experience, but also on how they are approaching the job search. Enthusiastic candidates with fewer skills have an even chance of getting the job as dull candidates with better skills.
• Jungle survival. Employees who have consistently demonstrated their worth, taken initiative, and made themselves a valuable asset to the company have lower incidences of being downsized than employees who put forth mediocre or average effort in their jobs. This skill must be learned and consciously cultivated.
• Professional development. Attaining new skills, applying new concepts, updating established skills is an absolute necessity to succeed in today's work force. The successful individual is constantly attending seminars, taking classes, attaining training on new products or releases, and otherwise learning new skills that will keep them marketable in their careers. Successful people are lifelong learners.
• Career management differs from professional development. Professional development is learning, while Career Development is a planning and goal setting process. Successful individuals design a career plan with written goals for the short- and long-term, then layout the steps necessary to achieve those goals within a specific time period. Successful people have someone to whom they are accountable for their progress and who will monitor their success in achieving their goals. Employers are seeking individuals who (believe it or not) wish to commit to the company for a long period of time. Good career progression is a high selling point of candidates to prospective employers.