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Top 10 Professional Skills Employers Look For

Top professional skills

Professionalism deals with the use of certain skills and methods as expected of someone that is a professional. A professional, on the other hand, is someone who possesses these skills and has specialized knowledge in a specific career field.

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Each discipline or field requires professionals that are knowledgeable and possess a particular set of skills and qualities. Often the skills required are a combination of soft skills and hard skills.

Employers usually make emphasis on hiring the right candidates with the right skills to work in their organizations. However, the majority of these skills are transferable; that is to say, they can be developed over time. Sometimes you will need to talk about your work experience in order to convince the hiring manager that you have these skills.

Top professional skills employers look for in employees

Below we discuss the top professional skills that employers look for in employees. Make sure that you thoroughly analyze the job description to understand what is expected from you.

  1. Communication skill

This comes up first in almost every career field. It involves not just verbal but also nonverbal and written communication skills. Also, communication is about being concise and clear, and the ability to tailor your message for the particular audience you are addressing. It includes listening and paying close attention to what others are saying.

Communication skills are also needed when interacting with people over the phone. Therefore, it is required when sending and responding to emails, text messages, and phone calls. Also, it is required in business writing, resuming writing, persuasion, and brainstorming.

  1. Teamwork and collaboration

Carrying some tasks involve working as a group rather than working individually for increased productivity. You need to possess interpersonal skills in other to get along easily with others while working as a team.

As a professional, you should be able to take on responsibility as well as delegate work to others. In this way, you will be able to build positive relationships in the workplace and carry everyone along as they achieve both their personal goals and the company goal.

  1. Leadership skills

You may not be at the topmost of your career ladder or just a college graduate applying for a job for the first time, but you need to display that you have the capacity to lead. You should possess the qualities that show that you have the potentials to motivate and inspire other people. This is because, in every career, it is expected of one to grow as they get more experience.

You will definitely get to the point where you would be given the role of a leader. In addition, you might not be the manager, but it could be to lead a team on a specific project. Furthermore, it is at such points that your leadership skills are being put to the test as you will have to assign and delegate tasks as well as to lead by example.

  1. Public speaking

All jobs require some sort of public speaking. You might not need to be making presentations on regular occasions, but your opinion will surely be needed in meetings. You might need to address your team or pass on information to your colleagues. This is where communication skill also comes in.

You will need to pass on information in a way that you connect with your audience, and they understand you. Also, for effective public speaking, you need related skills such as confidence, social skills, articulation, ability to create presentation slides, and present with them, and projection skills.

  1. Time management skills

As a professional, you will be expected to perform many tasks and complete them within a given period. If you do not organize and plan your time, it all might overwhelm you. Time management is not only reflected in completing tasks but also in your punctuality to work and to meetings.

  1. Problem-solving skills

A professional should be able to think outside the box and take on different approaches to solving a problem. Employers always look out for candidates who can use their sense of reasoning, creativity, and even experiences they had in the past to identify problems and get solutions to them. This also involves thinking fast and, at the same time, being careful not to make mistakes.

  1. Flexibility and adaptability

Flexibility and adaptability are used interchangeably as they both imply almost similar things. Being flexible is the ability and willingness to change. Adaptability is you accepting that change and utilizing it effectively, even when it is not a favorable one. Also, it is about being open-minded and being ready for whatever might come up in the course of your job or when carrying out a task.

  1. Resilience and ability to work under pressure

It is only a resilient employee that can cope with change and stress. Resilience is about accepting the fact that things will not always remain the same; that life gets tough sometimes. Also, it is about being willing to change, adapt to the situation, and keep going.

There are times when there will be tension at work after no business is always good in every season. Therefore, a professional should be able to cope with such times. It’s important that you are able to work under (time) pressure and not get overwhelmed in such a situation.

  1. Interpersonal skills

This has a link with communication skills because both enable you to interact smoothly with your employer, co-workers, and customers. They are skills and special attributes that make for building a successful professional network and management of personal career growth.

Some skills embedded or related to personal skills include honesty, humility, respect, integrity, ethics, patience, competency, career planning, creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence.

  1. Learning skills

The times are changing, and so do jobs, a method of solving problems and tools used for solving problems change. You as well should be willing to learn and update your knowledge along with it. That is exactly what employers seek: someone that can move with the trend, grow, learn new things, and incorporate them into the business for better productivity.

Learning skills come with the willingness to learn. Also, you cannot learn if you are not willing to. Therefore, try to accept constructive feedback and be open to improving yourself. It means you learn from your past mistakes and the experiences of others.

Job Interview Topics – Common Job Interview Questions & Answers

Below you can find a list of common job interview topics. Each link will direct you to an article regarding the specific topics that discuss commonly asked interview questions. Furthermore, each article discusses why the interviewer asks these questions and how you answer them!

  1. Accomplishments
  2. Adaptability
  3. Admission
  4. Behavioral
  5. Career Change
  6. Career Goals
  7. Communication
  8. Competency
  9. Conflict Resolution
  10. Creative Thinking
  11. Cultural Fit
  12. Customer Service
  13. Direct
  14. Experience
  15. Government
  16. Graduate
  17. Growth Potential
  18. Honesty & Integrity
  19. Illegal
  20. Inappropriate
  21. Job Satisfaction
  22. Leadership
  23. Management
  24. Entry-Level & No experience
  25. Performance-Based
  26. Personal
  27. Prioritization & Time Management
  28. Problem-solving
  29. Salary
  30. Situational & Scenario-based
  31. Stress Management
  32. Teamwork
  33. Telephone Interview
  34. Tough
  35. Uncomfortable
  36. Work Ethic

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