What Are The Top Skills That Employers Are Looking For?

Yesterday we all looked to pick a winner from the Melbourne Cup pack. Some of us used a form guide, recent success, and odds to guide our decision. Others looked at other, or more essential criteria, like jockey colours, name of the horse, or our lucky number.

Just like our criteria for choosing a winning horse, employers have a set of top skills that they are looking for in selecting the best candidates for the job. Of course these specific criteria must change dependent on the job that needs to be filled.

But there are 10 skills that employers are consistently asking for as their “top skills” in selecting a candidate, regardless of job.

1. Communicate effectively – How well do you express yourself at work? How well do you communicate to others and management? Do you speak up and ask questions when learning new skills? Are your written and verbal skills strong?
2. Great interpersonal skills – Getting along with co-workers effectively, try to maintain a positive attitude and be able to accept constructive feedback. How do you work effectively within a team?
3. Learn new tasks willingly – Being willing to learn any new tasks. How do you demonstrate your initiative?
4. Accept responsibility – Taking pride in your work and taking responsibility for your actions.
5. Show flexibility – Covering on a previous blog topic, being able to adapt and be flexible with changes at work and your environment.
6. Ability to meet deadlines – design, plan, organise, and prioritise workloads to achieve deadlines.
7. Problem Solving – can you assess a situation from multiple perspectives? Obtain the information needed to identify the key issues that need to be considered? What types of problems have you faced in your work and how you have developed the best solutions?
8. Make decisions – Independently and on behalf of a group. This is also a way of helping you prioritise your day and organise tasks effectively.
9. Grow in the job – I find this one to be important as most managers are training their employees for growth in their industry with the potential to lead and guide others. Showing top performance and the desire to grow are quite desirable traits that employers often look for on a resume as well.
10. Commit to the job – Can the employer depend on you to fulfil the role with dedication and enthusiasm? How have you demonstrated your previous commitment?

Now this is only a guideline. By all means, if you do not possess all of these skills, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be put forward for jobs. But consider which of the skills that you have demonstrated in your career to-do-date. Do you have examples of these skills to share during interviews and on your resume?

One thing that I would not recommend would be to include skills on your resume when you don’t have experience. Lying on your resume can come back to haunt you and can hurt your future chances of employment and it is not worth it when trying to get your foot in the door.

You need to make sure to highlight the skills that you do currently possess, and if you do not have experience in a field (for example in leadership), be honest about it in your interview, but also demonstrate how you have shown initiative to grow your career in the past and take on leadership responsibilities within your previous jobs.

So now you know the skills that employers are looking for in the perfect candidate. How will you demonstrate these skills in your next interview? How will you stand-out from the pack to take the winning position?

Challenge Consulting also provide Career Guidance Services as well as CV Writing Services and if you would like further information please visit our website for details. We are also promoting a free copy of our Job Search – Tools, Tips and Tactics Booklet when you like our Facebook page and join our mailing list so make sure to check it out today!