Introduction
Getting or not getting a job depends on more than just your degree or experience. When employing someone employers tend to look more out of hard skills to judge the candidate.
When you apply for a job tens of others also apply for the job having the same degree. So, employers focus on the set of soft skills candidates possess. That means you should develop some of the most useful soft skills inside you to land a great job.
I will tell you about the three most important soft skills which will give you an edge over all other applicants. These skills will increase your overall value.
Skills Employers Look For
The more skills you learn the more they add up to your value. One of the most important parts of self-improvement is developing useful skills. We are living in a time where skill is more important than a degree so you should focus on making new skills inside you and stay learning. Because this is what going to help your whole life.
In order to land a great job, other than your primary hard skill or degree you should possess a set of useful soft skills. I have written down three soft skills that employers themselves said they look for the most in a job applicant. I will also talk about how you can develop those soft skills.
1. Communication Skills
In simplest words, communication is an act of transferring information. Communication skills are skills for connecting with others effectively. The ability to understand what is said and to convey information effectively to any person or group of people are called communication skills.
When you start a job and you get to work in a team, you have to communicate effectively with your colleagues. This helps build trust, develop a sense of belongingness, boosts teamwork, and helps your team become more productive. That is why these are skills that employers look for in job candidates. Communication skills are one vital life skill, overlooking them is a mistake.
Thankfully developing communication skills isn’t that hard. The only thing needed is for you to take action and start developing it. You can start to communicate effectively by taking notes on the points written below.
• Listening
Learn to listen effectively. The most essential part of communication is listening. To communicate effectively you have to listen effectively. Listen to the person carefully who is talking to you in order to get information from him. Ask for clarification and avoid misunderstandings.
The moment when a person is talking to you, that person should be the most important person to you at that time and give your full attention. As a bonus, listening will make you very likable
• Questioning
Learn to ask questions effectively. To get the right information you want you to have to learn how to ask questions effectively. To ask questions effectively, you have to consider some things before asking questions.
First, you have to see if it’s a good time to ask a question. Second, you have to be clear about why you are asking that question or determine the purpose of your question and what information you want to get. After that, make an open-ended question so the conversation doesn’t die after your answer, Always say thanks after you receive the information you wanted
• Speaking Appropriately
Learn how and when to speak up. It’s also an important part of communication in a conversation. You should not cut the other person speaking. Following the first part of listening, listen carefully before speaking. Speak only when it’s your turn to speak.
The most important part is to pause before you speak and think about what are you going to say. Doing this small thing will help you not get in awkward situations and will save you from embarrassment.
• Handling Conflicts
Learn to handle conflicts effectively. Managing Conflicts and dealing with arguments is a very useful skills and add a lot to your communication skills. You can handle a conflict well by avoiding the miss-conduct. Listen and understand other’s points, show some self-control be calm, and avoid criticizing at any cost because criticizing makes people go in defensive mode and conflict won’t go well.
There is A lot
There is a lot to communication skills. If you want to master communication skills, I recommend you to read this book, “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie. It’s easily the most interesting and useful book I have read. You can listen to this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible. Click the button below.
2. Time Management Skills
In simplest words, time management is planning your available time and controlling the time you are spending on a specific task in order to get the best out of your time and to be as productive as you can.
When we come to the job area, This is one of the most critical skills employers look for in an applicant. Every business what to be more productive and grow fast. If the employees of any business will have time management skills, the business will go really fast with high productivity. That is the reason it is one of the important skills for applicants.
Learning time management is most of organizing and planning your day effectively. Time management skill needs more training to be mastered at it. Here are some tips to manage your time better.
• Plan Your Day
You should know clearly what you would like to achieve each day. At the beginning of the day, it must be clear in your mind how much work you want to be completed by the end of the working day. A really effective exercise is to write your desired goals down on a piece of paper so you can easily see them throughout the day. This will help ensure you don’t spend too much time doing things that aren’t important. Make a list of tasks you have to do to achieve that goal. Your List of tasks should be clear too.
• Set Priorities for Tasks
To prioritize tasks, start with a list of tasks. Then, make a prioritized list based on importance and urgency. Prioritize your list before starting work. Keep your focus on one task at a time. Don’t let yourself get sidetracked. Review your lists regularly. Stay realistic about what can be accomplished each day.
• Become Focused
Distraction is a killer. Look how much time you spend on social media or notifications and wasting your time there. To manage your time properly, you have got to avoid all distractions. Especially put your phone away. Do not do multiple tasks at once. Focus on one thing at a time. That will help you concentrate more on what you are actually doing.
• Take Breaks
Working all the time can drain your energy. When you start feeling tired, take a break. Don’t worry about wasting time; instead, make sure you don’t lose focus. Take a quick break every hour or so to keep yourself focused. Avoid distractions such as social media during short breaks.
An Advice
If you’re trying to get better at managing your time, then I’d suggest reading “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. It’s an excellent book about prioritizing tasks, getting rid of things you don’t need, and being organized. You can listen to its audiobook for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible.
You might like: How to Increase Productivity. Get More Work Done in Less Time.
3. Problem-Solving Skills
In the simplest words, problem-solving skills are a person’s ability to deal with and solve a complex and unexpected situation.
The power of problem-solving in the workspace can’t be overstated. In a workspace, sometimes suddenly some problems arise and you can’t solve them just by a quick google. That’s when problem-solving skills come into play. This is one of the skills employers look for in job candidates.
Problem-solving skills have many complex views and theories. There are many problem-solving methods and tactics. Like all others, this is also one of the skills that you will become good at with practice. Here are some tips for you to improve your problem-solving skills.
• Identify Problem
The first step to solving any problem is deciding what the problem actually is. Once you’ve identified the problem, you should be able to clearly define it, so that you can work out how to fix it. For example, if you’re having trouble getting your car started, you might decide that the problem is that the battery is flat. From there, you’ll be able to figure out whether the battery needs charging, whether the engine needs cleaning, or whether the starter motor needs fixing.
• Analyze Problem
Once you’ve identified the problem, you must analyze it. You should understand some key points of your problem.
- Evidence; what evidence does the problem provide?
- Impacts; why does this matter to me?
- Causes; what is the cause of the problem?
After analyzing these, add a recommendation by identifying the solution; just reverse the causes.
• Make Decision
Then you have to decide on the solution to the issue and resolve it. You can use the helpful technique of problem-solving called “DECIDE”. It is a method developed by healthcare managers. It consists of six steps;
- Define the problem.
- Establish the criteria
- Consider all the alternatives
- Identify the best alternative
- Develop and implement a plan of action
- Evaluate and monitor the solution when necessary
Listen Here
Again there is a lot more to problem-solving skills than that. I couldn’t explain as much in this article. I will highly recommend you to read “Stop Guessing” by Nat Greene. This awesome book will teach you problem-solving skills by giving examples of great problem solvers. You can listen to this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible. Click the button below.
Conclusion
Having this set of soft skills on your resume will enhance your chances to land an awesome job. Not just a job, these skills will help you for a lifetime. They will increase your value by a great value.
Like other good things, developing a set of soft skills can also be difficult at the start. If a times come when you don’t see any change, don’t quit just be self-disciplined to carry on. Good things come to those who show patience with it
Believe me, the procedure will only get easier. Focus on the process of becoming the person you were born to be.
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