Are These Still the Skills Employers Want?

The 21st century workplace is constantly changing. In many countries, the idea of a career for life is long gone. What employers want are skills that can be applied to a range of tasks and roles. As a result, they look for flexible people who can demonstrate transferable professional skills as well as personal qualities that will benefit the company.

Here's an insider's guide to the skills and qualities that will get you hired and also help you survive in today's job market. A large part of the academic experience is based around individual performance in business. However, things are quite different. You need to develop a range of transferable skills, and one thing that many recruiters put at the top of their list is the ability to work in teams.

I would look at: can this candidate fit into the team well? Do they work well with people? Are they passionate about the topic? Do they think outside of the box? The employers value team working skills very highly indeed. So if you're studying, it's really important you try and get some experience. Now, obviously, an internship is an ideal way to do this, but you can also do it through part-time jobs, through vacation work, through voluntary work, or helping with societies and clubs while you're at university.

Your experience at school is really, really important. So if you played in a team, guess what? You're a team player. You set goals; you can achieve. 21st century careers involve a lot of movement, not just between jobs but also between industries and countries. It's no good if your skill set locks you into one industry or even into one company, and this is where flexibility is important.

Be prepared to develop attributes that are transferable across sectors so you can make the best moves for your career. I'm talking about things like critical thinking, which means analyzing information very carefully, communication skills, problem-solving, and being able to influence people. Make sure you work on your communication skills in person, on paper, face to face, in small groups, in large groups. You need to do this wherever you work, whatever job it is, across all sectors. Communication skills are absolutely key.

Employers are not just hiring a package of skills; they're hiring a person, and it's personal qualities that are of key importance: honesty, flexibility, enthusiasm. These things matter a lot. Be passionate. If you're really going to apply to a company that you're interested in, make sure your passion comes through and be genuine and authentic about that passion. You're going to work hard; you're going to play hard, but you have to be passionate to be successful.

It's their own determination that's gonna get them a job. Right? Employers, you know, are gonna look at them not necessarily for their skills that they may have, but for the passion that they may express. Convince them that you have integrity; you know, integrity is very important, obviously, and convince them that you have ability, that you will do everything you can to make that job work.

If you are motivated and have a can-do attitude, you will get wherever you want. So to sum up our insider's guide: you need professional skills that can transfer from one job to another, especially the ability to be a good team player. Don't forget that employers look at the person behind the CV or resume to identify the personal qualities they value in the workplace.