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What do employers look for in
potential employees? That was the question that was
posted recently on a career discussion forum online.
Naturally, for each different position, the particular
answers to that question would be different. However,
there are some common skills that employers look for in
all employees, whether the employee happens to be a
network engineer or a fry cook.
In-Demand Skills for Success
1. BASIC SKILLS, Reading, writing
and arithmetic! Believe it or not, a good portion of
high school graduates (and some college grads) do not
read at an 8th grade level and cannot do multiplication
in their head. Employers are seeking employees who can
read well, can write coherently, and who can calculate
mathematics in a business environment (fractions,
percentages, etc.) Add to that the modern basic skills
of keyboarding skill, basic computer knowledge, and
ability to use most computerized tools (e.g. fax
machine, basic word processing program, etc.) to round
out the basic skill sets needed for employment success.
2. PERSONAL SKILLS, Can a
potential employee speak well? Can he/she answer
questions of customers in a positive, informative
manner? Can the prospect provide good customer service?
While not everyone has an outgoing sales' personality,
successful employees can communicate in a
non-confrontational, positive manner with their
coworkers, team members, subordinates, management, and
customers. Being able to work well with others is a
vital skill for success in all jobs.
3. JOB ATTAINMENT, Job search is a
process that requires a great deal of dedication and
attention to be conducted successfully. It follows the
old principle that many veteran programmers refer to as
GIGO , Garbage In, Garbage Out. If you put lousy effort
in, you will receive lousy results. 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.
4. JOB SURVIVAL, Now there's a hot
topic in this period of layoffs. Who gets the axe and
who doesn't is often a matter of numbers, but it is also
often a matter of performance. 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.
Surviving within a company through layoffs or moving up
the career ladder is a success skill that is learned and
is consciously cultivated among successful
professionals.
5. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, As
all high tech and engineering pros know, it's learn or
burn in today's work environment. 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. Employers are looking for people
who have the training necessary to fulfill their needs.
6. CAREER DEVELOPMENT, Career
Development 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 short term and long term. They lay out the
steps needed to move their careers from Point A to Point
B within Time Frame C and plan how they are going to
achieve those steps. 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.
How do you measure up? Do you have
the 6 In-Demand Skills for Success? Feel like you need
some help? Give us a call!
Published in 25 career books,
Alesia has been cited by Jist Publications as one of the
"best resume writers in North America" and quoted as a
Career Expert in the Wall Street Journal. Serving as the
Resume Expert for over 50+ organizations, she has
numerous media appearances to her credit and is a
frequent keynote speaker.
http://getinterviews.com. |
