The Elevate Team  - 7 minute read

Highlighting your most marketable skills during the hiring process is logical to promote your compatibility for a particular role. Where most people miss an opportunity is failing to understand the skills that recruiters and employers value most, the skills that get you hired.

 

Every industry has specialized skills, abilities, and knowledge needed to do the job. While employers seek candidates with the right skills and capabilities for their organizations, there is also a set of transferable skills that help you stand out from the crowd at any interview.

 

These are general competencies and behaviours essential for success in any business, industry, or profession. Known as transferable skills, you develop them with experience and utilize them as your career develops.

 

"These are the skills, that once mastered, will turn you from an attractive employee into an invaluable one".

 

Recent graduates will find that mastering these skills early in your career will provide a significant "stand out" factor in giving you the edge over the competition.

 

Remember, a proven track record in utilizing any relevant skill is vital in convincing your audience it's more than just a line on your resume.

 

The top skills recruiters value most right now.

 

Proactive approach

 

As opposed to being proactive, being reactive is waiting for things to happen to you; circumstances dictate your actions instead of your actions dictating the circumstances.

 

A proactive mindset begins with realizing that you’re not a product of your circumstances, but your decisions.

 

For example taking ownership of a task project or deadline and getting the job done without checking in with management every 15 mins, but if you're challenged, raise the alarm - don't wait for the deadline to reveal an issue!

 

 

Communication

 

It’s no secret communication is crucial in all aspects of life, and business is no exception.

 

To clarify communication relates to all activities, including verbal and written forms, as well as incorporating the skill of active listening that results in  the two way exchange information.

 

In reality, few people can clearly and concisely tailor their message to the audience they are engaging - whether it be other employees, management, customers, or suppliers.

 

To be effective in communicating, you must be able to listen actively, interpret and respond to interactions with your audience.

 

Humans almost always overestimate their own abilities, and communication is most likely one skill where the gap between perception and reality is greatest.

 

A great exercise to determine your effectiveness in communication is to pair up with a co-worker to solve a puzzle. The catch; one of you is blindfolded while the other gives directions on how to complete the puzzle.

 

Mastering this one skill at any point in your career will give you a significant advantage over the competition.

 

Collaboration or Teamwork

 

Teamwork is simply working together as a group to achieve a common goal. Employers want team players who actively make positive contributions to help the group succeed.

 

A new hire with a proven track record in delivering results in a team environment is a major asset to any team.

 

As your experience and responsibilities grow, this extends to managing and delegating work to others to achieve the desired outcome optimally while building positive working relationships that promote the organizations goals and objectives.

 

Problem solving

 

Problem-solving skills help you not only identify a problem they should also help you determine the cause and find a way to implement a solution to solve them.

 

The reality is that management is focused on managing the team to deliver results; they don't have time to spoon-feed new hires. 

 

Organizations need self-starters that can at least solve their own problems and use this as a learning process along the way!

 

Using logical and analytical approaches to solving problems demonstrates flexibility in crafting solutions, especially when backed by a real-world example of having done the same.

 

Tech Savvy

 

Training is expensive and time-consuming.

 

Having the basic skills required in your industry is a great advantage during the hiring process. This is especially relevant to graduates - online courses can teach you the basics of almost any software; all it requires is the right attitude and the willingness to invest the time to learn.

 

The faster a new hire can start contributing to the organisation, the more attractive they become to hire.

 

 

Leadership

 

A leader inspires others to act, while simultaneously directing the way that they perform. They must be personable enough for others to follow their direction while using critical thinking skills to allocate organizational resources best.

 

Leadership is mostly about building and optimising teams to best use the resources available in tackling the challenges of achieving the organizations' goals and objectives.

 

If you're starting your career, you still need to show the potential to motivate teams and influence colleagues to be considered to have leadership potential, an essential trait for career development.

 

Perseverance and motivation

 

Working life presents many challenges; employers need to know that you have grit and determination to stay the course on a day-to-day basis.  There will be late nights and weekend work at some point; a positive can-do attitude is critical when the chips are down.

 

Ability to work under pressure

 

Pressure culminates from dealing with constraints that are often outside of your control. Examples are resource or time constraints, the task's difficulty or insufficient experience to complete the job, or unforeseen changes or problems.

 

Ultimately you need to learn to remain calm in a crisis and draw on your colleagues and management to resolve the pressure points.

 

Business Acumen

 

Business acumen or business savvy is knowing how a business or industry works and how they generate profits.

 

Graduates in particular need to understand the organizations' products and services, customer base, key differentiators, and industry competitors.

 

Experienced professionals would be expected to have good insight and a proven track record in their relevant industry.

 

Building business acumen starts with knowing the relevant industry jargon!

 

Negotiation

 

We often attribute negotiation to big business deals or high-value asset purchases; however, negotiations often happen on a smaller scale in the workplace.

 

Schedules, task distribution, idea exchanges, and deadlines are negotiated daily, weekly, monthly without giving much thought to the negotiation process in its most basic form.

 

Few people enjoy negotiating, and even less have received formal training in the art of negotiation. Therefore having a basic understanding of negotiation will give you a significant advantage in your career in the practical aspects of achieving your goals and creating value for your employer.

 

Employers value transferable skills because they have learned that employees with these tools can go beyond their job description.

 

As valued as transferable skills are to employers, they also crucially play a pivotal role in helping you stand out from the crowd and grow your career.

 

In the competitive landscape of today, having these, and other skills listed on your Resume or LinkedIn profile, is not enough to switch on the neon light around your name. Rather moving from "good to great" requires proof of your ability to implement and execute on these abilities, and there is no better way to achieve this than through story telling of past experiences.

 

Master the art of storytelling your successes, while highlighting the transferable and other skills important to your current or future employer, will elevate your standings in every regard. These are skills that get you hired!

Want to know more - get our complete insider track on kickstarting your career and other courses designed to give you an edge over the competition here.