Skills Employers Are Looking For: Show Your Best Qualities in Your Next Job Interview
COVID-19 has made it hard for us to find a job.
Some of us have it worse, especially those who lost that comfy seat in the office they used to have.
Companies everywhere in Singapore had to let people go as they could not support too many employees under all the restrictions.
Lucky for us, the job market seems to be picking up.
In a recent news report by Channel News Asia, the unemployment rate has fallen from 4.2 per cent to the current 3.7 per cent.
But that alone isn’t enough to secure you a seat on an ergonomic office chair.
Worry not. We’ve got your back!
Here are some skills almost all employers are looking for!
TL;DR: Common Skills Most Employers Are Looking For
1. Interpersonal and Team-Oriented Skills
A company is like a well-oiled machine.
Every single part of that machine needs to work together for that machine to be fully functional.
An important skill that goes without saying will be team-oriented skills.
Let’s take interpersonal or social skills as an example.
When an employee has strong social skills, it makes it easier for them to work with the people in their team since they will be more inclined to work together to achieve their shared goal in the company.
No company is made up of just a single person. Hence, skills that help the team’s collaborative ability will be essential.
2. Oral and Written Communications Skills
Another basic yet essential skill employers look for will be communication skills.
As we have mentioned earlier, no company comprises just a single person.
While working together is essential, communicative skills are an absolute must if we want to ensure that the goals are aligned between all members of the teams.
This encompasses both oral and written communicative skills.
Good speakers don’t just help bring ideas across the team effectively, and they ensure that the team is fully aligned and motivated towards the shared goal.
Whereas good writers send messages that are easily understood by all team members and reduce the chances of misinterpretations occurring.
Therefore, I cannot stress the importance of having communicative skills enough.
3. Positive Attitude Towards Challenges
A positive and can-do attitude says a lot about a person!
Besides leaving a good impression with your interviewer, there’s a lot more to having a positive attitude in the workplace.
Especially when faced with challenges at work, your ability to adapt to the situation while you find a way out of the challenge is a valuable asset in the workplace.
Furthermore, a positive attitude also means that your energy will rub off others!
Being able to keep the team motivated to stay on task or provide them and yourself with the energy to go the extra mile is a significant plus to any company.
I’m positive this is definitely a skill you cannot overlook!
4. Computer or Digital Literacy
In this modern society, hardly any workplace goes without a computer.
Especially with how communication technology has grown, your workplace might not be limited to just your country.
Furthermore, COVID-19 has put a good majority of us in a work-from-home (WFH) situation. Hence, the ability to know your way around a computer is a big plus.
However, knowing is simply not enough. Everyone knows how to use a computer.
What sets you apart will be your ability to stay up-to-date with the latest software or social media trends used in your industry.
Like your computers, it’s important to update your skills regularly!
5. Problem-Solving or Learning Capabilities
Solving problems is simply not enough in the current workplace!
Think about it, companies are constantly evolving and coming up with new solutions to the same old problems.
Having the ability to constantly ask yourself, “how can I better solve this issue?” and answering it in the most creative way no one else can come up will make you an irreplaceable asset to every company.
Besides creativity, other skills, such as critical thinking and adaptability, are essential to every workplace.
Having critical thinking skills ensure that you will have no issue breaking down complex challenges and making the correct judgements.
Meanwhile, being adaptive ensures that while the problems or solutions are constantly changing, you will be able to continue staying on task with minimal interruptions.
If you can show this skill well, your next interview will be no problem!
6. The Willingness to Take Initiative
As we have mentioned earlier, Singapore is a fast-paced society.
Therefore, having the willingness to take initiative in the workplace is a vital skill to have.
Taking initiative at work shows that you can make quick decisions, which is crucial in a society like Singapore, where you cannot afford to slow down.
Furthermore, taking the initiative to suggest changes allows you and your company to stay ahead of the competition!
Another major plus to taking initiative would be instilling trust for your skills and capability in your peers, which bolsters the team’s collaborative ability even further.
Ready to take initiative in your next interview?
How to Make Yourself More Employable in Between Jobs
While it isn’t easy being stuck between jobs, one good thing comes out of it.
You get a lot of FREE TIME!
Time is an important asset, especially in the fast-paced society that is in Singapore, yet many people overlook this asset.
What differentiates you and any other random individual out there is how you use your time.
Here are some ways to better optimise that time before you secure your next role.
Learn a New Skill
This one goes out to all of you who are hunting for a job that requires technical skills.
Especially since the skills you knew might go obsolete with the advancement of technology, it’s important to reskill constantly.
Hop on a website offering a course, sign up for a class, use those Skillsfuture credits!
Learning doesn’t stop, even after you graduate.
Work On a Passion Project
The thing about having a lot of free time is that you finally have the time to pursue your passion projects.
While having a creative outlet might not necessarily help you find your next job, it does have many other benefits.
It helps develop skills that might come in handy out of nowhere and helps give you an outlet to relieve stress.
Wanna start making your own website? Or have you been meaning to learn a language?
Time to do so now!
Keep Your Network Alive
Remember when you used to post stuff you liked on Facebook, Instagram, etc.?
Now that you’ve started adulting, you cannot forget about your LinkedIn!
Set up virtual coffee dates with people in the industry you’re looking to work in, post your thoughts about articles you’ve seen related to the field.
Just keep your feed alive and build up your connections!
Rediscover Yourself
So you’re looking for a job. What is it that you want out of it?
Especially if your previous job leaves you feeling drained and unsatisfied, it’s time to evaluate your life decisions.
Organise your schedule, do some reflections, call up your friends or family for a long-overdue lunch!
As you spend this time for yourself, think hard about your plans moving forward and what motivates and drives you to keep going.
That will help you better define your goals for work moving forward!
Ready For Your Job Interview?
You have seen all the skills commonly sought after by employers.
Think you have them all? Or is it time to start developing them?
While you’re getting busy, here are some ways to spruce up your resume!
It’s not an easy situation for us in the current job market, but so long as you keep trying, you’ll find your job one day.
I actually went through three months of unemployment before securing a position here, writing this article for all of you.
So fret not; opportunities will always be out there! That said, good luck with your job interview!
