Skills Looked for by Employers Whatever The Job

No matter your sector, industry or role, some core skills are consistently valued by employers and it’s a good idea to showcase examples of how you have demonstrated these abilities in your CV, applications and in interviews. These soft skills can be exemplified by projects you have worked on in previous roles, work experience, or even extra-curricular experience such as volunteer work or hobbies. Such transferable skills are particularly essential to entry-level job applications where it may be more difficult to demonstrate specialised knowledge or skills. Here are the top soft skills employers look for in candidates:

1. Organisation

Organisation is an essential skill in life so it follows that this is one of the most important soft skills that employers expect from candidates. A large part of this is time management and prioritisation. Are you able to prioritise tasks based on importance and urgency and adapt your work schedule to meet deadlines? Can you describe a concrete example of when you have utilised these skills effectively?

2. Communication

Whether or not customer service is a large part of your role, communication is critical in most jobs. Interaction with clients, colleagues and third parties requires politeness, personability, salesmanship, consistent communication and the ability to translate specialised information into a consumable format. Can you describe a role you have held or a situation in which you demonstrated successful communication?

3. Teamwork

Working as part of a team goes beyond just effective communication with co-workers. Many jobs require you to work alongside colleagues on short/long-term projects. The ability to assess your own and others’ strengths; create shared targets; delegate and carry out tasks and assess group performance is crucial. Detailing the size of teams you have worked with and the length of coordinated projects you have contributed to adds another dimension to the exemplification of your teamwork skills.

4. Independence

Whilst there is an element of teamwork in almost every job, there are also times when companies appreciate an employee’s ability to work independently. If you can prove your strong work ethic, ability to show initiative and continuously reflect on your performance you will be viewed as a highly valued candidate.

5. Logic

Some sectors and positions require specialist knowledge and expertise but a generally analytical and logical approach can show that you have what it takes to succeed in a technical field if you are starting out and have minimal experience. Usually, meticulous attention to detail is useful in any job so it may be advantageous to demonstrate this.

6. Creativity

Similarly, some sectors and positions are where the creative thrive but, equally, creativity and the ability to think outside the box are valued skills in almost any job. Are these abilities you can demonstrate in your CV, applications and interviews?