We came across an article in the news today about the top skills that employers are looking for. Within the piece it states that the number one skill is verbal communication. Whether this is needed or not in the actual role, it is felt that this skill is the most important over any of other. Do you agree?
Second in the research is teamwork. Although teamwork is paramount when working alongside others, there are jobs that probably require other more important skills over teamwork, so it really does depend on the industry and job role.
Some of the other skills within the top 10 include; commercial awareness, analysis and investigation, initiative and self-motivation, drive, written communication, planning, organisation and time management. Although this list is not exhaustive, it does cover some of the most important skills needed for many roles. As already mentioned some skills may be more important for specific roles that are not highlighted here so although the above are thought to be the most important based on a number of surveys, it is not set in stone.
For example, an IT Software Developers' most important skills may be programming, logical thinking, structured thinking and attention to detail whereas a Sales Managers' most important skills may be verbal communication, teamwork, leadership and negotiation skills etc.
You can see the latest article in the news here.
Love to hear your thoughts on what skill is the most important in your role?
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Most people try to include achievements in their work experience section. The only trouble is that this is easier said than done and a lot of people do not write achievements as proactively as they could. Indeed, most people write achievements, which are not only nowhere near as proactive as they could be, but also achievements which are not pertinent enough and which are badly phrased in long and cluttered paragraphs rather than sharp, precise and powerful sentences.
Employers can pretty much pick and choose these days and most employers prefer achievers to people who can just do a typical job. If you want the best results therefore you need to come across as an achiever on your CV. And one of the best places on your CV to give the impression that you are an achiever is in your work experience section. It sounds simple, but you would be very surprised to see just how many people do not do this anyway near as powerfully as they could.
You are probably reading this right now thinking that this does not apply to you. However, it almost certainly does apply to you too. I have worked with CVs day in, day out for years, and, believe me, practically everyone undersells themselves on their CV, especially in the work experience section.
You can find this article on our website here.