job skills

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

While there will always be job-specific skills that an employer is looking for, most employers will also want you to have some general skills. These general job skills are sometimes called "employability skills".

Having employability skills can help you get a job. They can also help you stay in a job and work your way to the top. If you score a job interview, chances are you'll be asked questions about your job-specific skills and your employability skills.

Generally speaking, there are eight skills that employers want you to have, no matter what industry you’re working in:

1. Communication

Depending on the job, communication is about being a good talker or a good writer. It involves being confident about speaking to people (face-to-face or over the phone). It also involves writing well enough to be understood in emails and memos.

2. Teamwork

Teamwork means being good at working with people - both the people you work with and other people that come into contact with your organisation.

3. Problem solving

Problem solving is about being able to find solutions when faced with difficulties or setbacks. Even if you can’t think of a solution straight away, you need to have a logical process for figuring things out.

4. Initiative and enterprise

Initiative and enterprise are about being able to think creatively and to make improvements to the way things are. They're also about looking at the bigger picture and how the way you work fits into that.

5. Planning and organising

Planning and organising are about things like working out what is required to get a job done, and then working out when and how you'll do it. They're also about things like developing project timelines and meeting deadlines.

6. Self-management

Self-management is about getting on with your work without someone having to check up on you every five minutes. You should also be able to stay on top of your own deadlines and be able to delegate tasks to other people to make sure things get done on time.

7. Learning

Learning is about wanting to understand new things and being able to pick them up quickly. It's also about being able to take on new tasks and to adapt when the way things are done in the workplace change.

8. Technology

General technology skills that employers want include things like being able to use a computer for word processing and sending email, or knowing how to use a photocopier.

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