Basic employable skills are needed for all types of job applications.
Whatever the company or position you're applying to - from digital marketer to delivery man - employers will be looking for the same basic employable skills from all their successful candidates.
If you want to make sure you land that dream job, here's 7 employable skills that need to shine through on your application, if you want to get your foot in the door.
Top 7 Employable Skills...
1. GOOD WORK ETHIC
Every employer loves a worker.
From the giant multinational corporation to the small business with a handful of employees. Employable skills come no higher than a hard worker who gets stuck in and shows a willingness to achieve results.
But it’s about more than simply grafting away. It’s about setting and achieving goals, staying focused, working with your line manager on your personal development and constantly looking to improve yourself.
2. RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE
As with many employable skills, reliability forms the foundation of getting far within a company. 'Hot one minute then cold the next' isn’t the mark of someone in a senior role. If you want your employer to invest in you, you need to make a name for yourself as a consistent performer.
3. POSITIVE ATTITUDE
When you’re positive, your boss will love you, your colleagues will respect you, and your staff will replicate you.
Negativity breeds scepticism and resentment and evaporates confidence.
Business owners consistently value positivity when talking about employable skills. Remember that it’s not just about having a can-do approach to tasks, it’s also about being able to acknowledge mistakes, learn from them and move on from them in a positive way.
4. SHOWING INITIATIVE
Initiative and self-motivation are good values to any employer because they lessen the burden of management.
Even in a new job, someone who can work effectively with minimal direction is what all hiring managers look for. The last thing they want is to spend all their time constantly directing their team. This is all about paying good attention and asking the right questions early on.
Also, to show initiative and self-motivation is to show good leadership skills: essential for the leaders of tomorrow.
5. TEAM PLAYER
Very few jobs these days don’t involve working in a team. Many jobs involve working in cross-departmental multi-disciplinary teams.
This makes team-working one of the key transferable skills. Most employers will ask you at interview stage for examples of when you’ve worked effectively in a team.
Being a good team player is about knowing the roles of those in your team as well as your own. It’s about playing your own part while giving others the space to play theirs. And it’s about being able to both give and receive constructive feedback.
6. GOOD COMMUNICATOR
From an employee perspective, communication skills are about the ability to effectively give and receive messages in both verbal and written form. If you receive a instruction, you need to demonstrate that you have understood it and can act on it quickly.
It might involve using the right language, expressing yourself clearly and honestly, and dealing with difficult or problematic situations.
Good employees know the importance of good communication, and the problems that can arise when messages are misinterpreted or ignored.
7. FLEXIBILITY
Modern workplaces can be constantly changing. Especially if your office adopts flexitime, working from home, out-of-hours conferences or events.
You can increase your appeal to potential employers by showing that you’re adaptable, embrace change and not fazed by the unknown. The more flexible you are in your approach, the more you will develop your skills and confidence. And the more you will open yourself up to new opportunities.
Looking for a new job, or apprenticeship role? An escalla apprenticeship could be for you! You'll develop a range of transferable skills, and kick start a great career. Contact us or find out more information about becoming an apprentice.
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