10 Key Skills Employers Look For

Whether you are looking for a graduate position or for your next role, it is essential that you market yourself effectively. As well as specific qualifications and experience, all employers are looking for candidates to have specific qualities and skills.

Thanks to a study by the University of Kent that looked at a number of surveys on the skills required for jobs in a diverse range of organisations as the BBC and Microsoft, here the 10 most important skills that recruiting organisations are looking for.

1. Verbal Communication

Whatever your job in whatever industry, verbal communication is vital. Expressing your ideas clearly is crucial for you to be as effective as you can be in your role. All projects are built upon good and clear communication which means that if you have excellent verbal communication skills, it makes you a highly sought after candidate.

2. Teamwork

Organisations and companies are successful because the individuals within them don’t isolate themselves but pull together as a team to hit targets and accomplish goals. If you cannot function confidently and effectively in a group then moving your career forward will be a struggle.

3. Commercial Awareness

Having a wider knowledge of a business and its market, competitors and other relevant factors will mark you out as a candidate to watch. Too many candidates for jobs only focus on the job itself instead of attempting to appreciate the wider implications of the role and how it links in with the strategic objectives of the business.

4. Analysing and Investigating

Even in the most creative of jobs, having a good attention to detail and to be able to analyse and investigate is a skill that is looked upon favourably. Gathering relevant information and establishing facts, trends and even mistakes is a useful skill that can help you stand out from your competitors.

5. Initiative and Self Motivation

Who would you rather employ? A candidate who has to be told what to do all the time or someone who acted on their own initiative, identified opportunities and ways to make things more efficient? Being proactive is a surefire way of impressing potential employers .

6. Drive

You will almost certainly experience times at work when you find yourself under pressure. This maybe due to tough customer demands, looming deadlines or simply an increased amount of work. Having the determination and drive to thrive in these situations is a sought after quality and one that can really help you secure a good job.

7. Written Communication

Thanks to email and social media, we are now expressing ourselves increasingly more using the written word. Being able to express yourself clearly and confidently in writing is crucial in the modern business environment.

8. Time Management

‘Time is money’ is a common phrase in business but one that is true. Being able to effectively plan and work to deadlines is essential in any modern business.

9. Flexibility

The business world is faster than ever before and things can change in an instant. Being able to adapt successfully to changing environments, situations and expectation is a cruciall skill for any modern business person and one that will hold you in good stead for the future.

10. Planning and Organising

Just as it is important to be flexible, it is also important to be able to plan and organise. Excellent project management skills are essential these days. You have to be able to plan activities, work to a budget and carry tasks.

Why not sit down and think about your skills? Is there anything that you could improve on? If there is, then doing so could transform you job hunting prospects and move you one step nearer to that dream job. They are especially useful if you are just out of university as these are the skills employers look for in graduates.

If you’re not getting interviews, it’s time to look at your skillset and improve it.