Another year, another cohort of newly minted graduates confronted with unemployment and underemployment.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment, there are presently thousands of job vacancies (DOLE). However, this year’s new graduates will have difficulty finding work due to a mismatch in employment capabilities.
Does this sound familiar? That is because they stated the same thing about last year’s crop as well. And it seems as if the gap between the abilities acquired in school and the skills needed by the majority of businesses continues to widen each year.
Job-Skills Mismatch:Â The Skills You Have vs. The Skills They Want
With the pace at which technology and professions evolve, some of the abilities you gained in college may be insufficient for the position for which you are applying. This is particularly true in today’s fast-paced workplace, when a large number of occupations need new, developing, or hybrid skill sets.
Numerous companies are aware of this and do not anticipate fresh grads to be immediately productive on their first day. However, they do expect candidates to possess the fundamental abilities necessary to perform effectively in any profession.
Regrettably, many candidates — both recent graduates and seasoned employees — either believe they already possess these fundamental abilities or dismiss them as unimportant to the positions they seek. In any case, individuals underestimate the value of acquiring these talents and therefore fall short of employers’ expectations.
3 Employers-Sought Skills
So let’s get started: apart from your outstanding technical abilities and astute commercial acumen, what talents do companies seek?
1. Communication Skills
Before anybody says, “But I’ll be spending all day in front of a computer; why do I need communication skills?” — pause.
Unless you want to live as a caveman, communication skills are necessary regardless of where you work, and you’d best get accustomed to it immediately. Because you’ll need strong communication skills to ace that job interview.
Many companies do not expect fresh grads to speak with the authority of a TED Talks speaker. However, they do want someone who has just completed four or five years of college to be able to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively, both orally and in writing.
This is because communication is critical in the workplace for successfully sending and receiving information. It’s critical for getting things done and avoiding workplace disputes.
Therefore, even if you spend 80 percent of your time in front of a computer, you will need to communicate with someone at some point to propose an idea, ask questions, make requests (hello, HR and Accounting), or cooperate on a job with others.
2. Writing Skills
Employers do not provide essay tests for the sake of amusement. They want to discover how effectively you can express your thoughts and ideas in writing. Because, even if you are not looking for a position that specifically requires writing, written communication is just as critical in today’s business as spoken communication.
Whatever sector you work in, whether your job needs you to send emails, create reports, submit proposals to clients, interact with customers through email, or make a 140-character statement on your company’s Twitter account, you do require strong writing abilities.
3. And Additional Soft Skills
Despite being technologically smart and adaptable, millennials have such a poor reputation in the job. This is mostly due to their lack of’soft skills,’ or, as some employers put it, their lack of them.
Many companies believe that many recent graduates and young employees lack the necessary interpersonal skills, critical thinking abilities, problem-solving abilities, and other intangible talents for job survival.
Show them — Do Not Tell
The good news is that many of these soft skills are transferrable, and you may have gained them while in school, at an internship, while working part-time, or in other circumstances. Employers just aren’t aware of it yet.
Of course, you cannot just include them on your CV and call it a day. To demonstrate to employers that you possess certain abilities, you must have evidence of them. However, since they are ‘intangible,’ these soft talents are difficult to quantify and demonstrate. Thus, the most effective method is to show these abilities throughout your job application. How?
- Create a unique resume
- Create an outstanding application email that is error-free.
- Respond to emails and phone calls in a timely and professional manner.
- Conduct research on the business for which you are applying.
- Practice composing tests and interview questions.
- Attend your interview on time and dressed appropriately.
- Be courteous to everyone you come into contact with in the office, especially utility workers and security officers.
Develop Soft Skills
Of course, not everyone is completely secure in their communication, writing, and other soft talents. Fortunately, these talents, like any other, may be acquired.
Apart from training classes and seminars, you may improve these talents by joining organizations or groups, volunteering, doing a personal project, or working part-time. This will also help your CV, particularly if you have no job experience, and will benefit not only your professional growth but also your personal development.
