Regardless of your degree, most employers look for certain skills and qualities in their candidates in addition to their academic qualifications and background. These skills are widely referred to as employability skills. Although these skills don’t have to be job-specific, they certainly play an important role in improving an employee's performance and the value they bring to the workplace.
The reason employers value employability skills so highly is because they’re transferable and can be useful in nearly every job. Another term used to describe them is “soft skills”.
Employability skills are viewed as crucial by employers because they are often harder to teach than job-specific skills. The reason behind this is that many people just naturally possess better soft skills than others. If you’re one of those people then you’ll likely have a much easier time finding a job, but if you’re not, you can work on improving them. Some of the most desirable soft skills include:
Communication - Being able to easily communicate with the rest of your colleagues is an essential part of almost any job. Being an effective communicator means being able to convey your thoughts clearly in order to achieve certain goals and outcomes, while also being able to listen to the ideas of others. Having good communication skills makes a candidate more employable because this will subsequently improve the team’s productivity and efficiency.
Problem solving - Another key soft skill is problem solving. This means identifying issues when they arise and being able to resolve them as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Although it's normal for most new employees to work alongside someone more experienced and ask them about any issues that might come up, employers value people who can solve problems on their own in the long run.
Teamwork - Regardless of how qualified you are or how much experience you have, employers will always look for someone who’d fit in with the rest of the team. Being a team player and collaborating easily with others can help a company reach its goals faster and also lead to a positive work environment for everyone.
Employability skills are important because they heavily influence your working environment. Employers take into consideration soft skills and study them during interviews because they are a direct indication of how you’ll get along with other members of the team and potential customers. Although many companies spend plenty of resources on seminars and training sessions to improve these skills, hiring someone who’s not only experienced but also displays good employability skills makes things much easier for the company.
If you’re in the process of finding a new job and you are worried about your employability skills, then you’ve come to the right place. TutorExtra offers private lessons in over 1000 subjects including Employability. Browse through our tutors, choose the one that suits your needs the best and book your first lesson as soon as possible.
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