When it comes to job applications, recruiters are looking for more than a qualification. Employers are looking for employees that have the skills to navigate the changing ways of working and the recruitment landscape. As an applicant, you need to stand out from the rest, not just with an attractive résumé, but with complimentary skills to match. Want to know if you match the requirements? Read on and discover the 10 essential skills employers look for in 2023 and assess how you fare.
Why skills are important
We know that the marketplace is changing and will continue to evolve as innovation, trends, and technology advance. Upskilling and staying up to date with the numerous changes is key to being relevant in your role and making the leap into a new position. An enhanced skillset is what you need to take you to the next level.
10 Essential Skills Employers Look for in 2023
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Critical thinking and problem-solving
Critical thinking and problem-solving are making sense of the chaos and are indicative of higher cognitive skills. Problems of all shapes and sizes make up a portion of every workday. It’s taking in information, processing it, and knowing how best to use it. Furthermore, you need to not just identify the issue or what’s not working but demonstrate critical and strategic thinking skills to come up with solutions to these challenges. You also need to be able to positively influence your team to see your perspective.
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Communication
Communication is at the core of the success of every team and business. If you can speak, write, listen, and negotiate effectively, you can advance in almost any job. Added to this, with remote working becoming more commonplace, the risks of miscommunication can be high, along with insufficient information being shared. Knowing your work is great, being able to communicate what you do, what you need others to do, and imparting other critical information clearly and concisely is even more valuable.
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Creativity
2023 has shown signs of growth and change and this will extend into the coming years. Unearthing, and allowing yourself to discover and unleash your creative spirit to come up with fresh ideas and find solutions will take your company forward.
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Leadership
Leadership is a sought-after soft skill by many employers. As a leader, you contribute to a project, guide a team on projects, motivate your colleagues, and ensure that tasks are completed timeously. Additionally, you are viewed as patient, and dependable, you are someone that can give and receive feedback and help your team members grow in their respective strengths.
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Tech-savvy skills
Even if you don’t work in IT or a technology company, every firm uses technology in some way, shape, or form. Simple things like Outlook, Salesforce, presentations, and many others, we all utilise technology and software in our daily lives. Today, tools like ChatGPT are becoming more prevalent and employers want to know and see your ability to operate these to increase productivity, remain relevant and stretch your capabilities.
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Adaptability
Things are changing. And they’re changing quickly. The old “we’ve done it this way” attitude is a sure way to remain stagnant and ultimately, left behind. If it’s not technology, it’s new systems, tools, protocols, and procedures. These require you to keep up with the changes and how they impact your life and role. You need to be adaptable to the many changes, collaborate, engage in critical thinking, and be open and willing to implement initiatives that get introduced into the company.
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Time management
The introduction of remote work means time management has never been more crucial. Employers need to trust that will manage your time and you will meet your obligations without a supervisor looking over your shoulder. To help you stay on top, prioritise tasks for the next day scheduling the difficult ones first.
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Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills refer to how well you interact with others. Regardless of your rank in an organisation, you are dealing with colleagues, suppliers, managers, clients, and other stakeholders and to work well with them, you require good interpersonal skills. These help you build and nurture relationships, help you handle conflict, and navigate other situations that often arise in the workplace.
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Emotional intelligence (EQ)
We have to learn to respond, not react. This means not allowing your emotions to get the better of you and saying or doing something in the heat of the moment. This doesn’t mean denying your feelings, instead, you need to learn to channel them, show empathy when the situation calls for it, and not bring your “problems” to the workplace.
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A coaching mindset
An admirable skill and quality that often flies under the radar is a coaching mindset. Success is not just about you rising to the top but now employers are looking for people who know how to and are willing to carry those around them. Do you take all the glory for yourself, or do you compliment, praise, and give credit to your team? How do you help others grow and improve their skills and situations? This facet of leadership indicates that you are a team player and can integrate with others.
Artificial intelligence, marketing, research, and project management are additional skills to add to your repertoire that will make you shine that little bit brighter.
The good news is that nobody is born scoring a perfect 10 on all these skills. They can be learned. If you aren’t sure where you stand on these and your strengths and weaknesses, take our workplace assessment. In just a few minutes we’ll help you to realise your career dreams by providing you with an extremely accurate report of who you are and why you do things the way you do.
And then simply update your résumé using our free Résumé Builder. Choose from a selection of available templates that will highlight these skills and you’ll be ready to land the job of your dreams.
