Skills to Learn as A Job Seeker
With us now being in the new year, people now tend to find themselves looking for a new job. In fact, 3.1% of employed people in the UK moved jobs in the third quarter of 2022. Which was a significant increase from the previous 2 years. So why do people move jobs in the new year? Maybe it could be to bring in something new for the new year. Or people have more personal reasons, such as better pay or company values. Either way, if you’re looking to change jobs in the new year, then you need skills. We’re going to go through the best skills you can learn to boost yourself and your CV.
When applying for a job, most people focus on showcasing their experience and knowledge that’s specific to the role. However, they tend to overlook the personal skills that they’ll bring to the job. These skills are often referred to as soft skills. You’ll likely have a number of these skills that you don’t recognise. You need to draw on these when you’re job hunting, regardless of your experience.
Ability to learn
No matter how long you’ve been in that particular industry or the amount of experience you have in it. No one knows everything about their sector. Industries are always changing and there is always something to learn and grow upon. Being able to learn, whether it’s a new skill, information or a new way of working is always going to be essential in the workplace. As it shows you’re willing to grow and find new trends and be better in your job. This is why you need to showcase it in your interviews or CV.
A way you can showcase your ability to learn is to explain how you learn new things. Let’s explain this. This way of showcasing your learning ability is a great fallback if you’re asked something you don’t know. Meaning rather than coming up blank and panicking about what you’re going to say as you don’t know, you can explain how you would learn or start to understand the matter in question. What would you do? Here are a few examples:
- Some initial reading and researching
- Write down key points
- Apply knowledge in other ways
- Explain it to someone else to test yourself
Detailing your own learning in this way demonstrates your ability to learn to an employer.
Communication skills
Interpersonal skills are extremely important in any industry and business. We all need to know how to communicate with colleagues. So the skills will be on the employer’s mind. Learning to communicate better and effectively is something that everyone should do continuously to better themselves and develop further. So how can you improve these skills?
Identify your areas of improvement
There are a wide variety of ways to communicate, such as writing clearly, confident/public speaking and listening skills. You may be a natural in some of these areas but fall short in others. A great place is to start to review your strengths and weaknesses to focus on the main aspects that you need to improve on.
Ask people for feedback
This is a great way to determine your strengths and weaknesses. Ask someone you trust to give you honest feedback and possible suggestions on ways you can communicate better. There are actually courses you can take to become better at communicating and having effective communication. There are free resources that you can use like Youtube videos and guides.
Practice makes perfect
Whether it’s active listening, writing or public speaking, make the time to research and expand your thinking and then put them into practice. You can set yourself goals to keep yourself on track and give you something to work towards an end result.
Good listening skills
Studies have shown that people only listen efficiently to others at around 25%. This means that not everyone has your whole attention. So becoming a better listener is vital, especially in the workplace. So how can you improve your listening skills? Keep in mind that not everyone will do these when you’re speaking, but it doesn’t mean they’re not listening to you. For example, some people find it hard to make eye contact but will look off to the side of your head or nose, but they’re still actively listening.
Don’t lose focus
Try not to focus on how you’re going to respond. It can be very difficult to focus on the speaker when you’re trying to prepare an answer to them immediately. Try to stay present and not think about what you need to add to the discussion until after everything has been said.
Don’t interrupt
Interruptions can be extremely frustrating for anyone, especially when you’re speaking or trying to. If you interrupt it can sidetrack the whole conversation away from the key bits of information you’re trying to get across. It’s also just polite not to.
Non-Verbal cues
We communicate in multiple ways, not just verbally, and even when we do communicate, we also use a range of non-verbal cues. A lot of the time we use body language to convey our thoughts and feelings. It’s important that you take these into account and that you actively look for them. For example, you can take note of if they’re smiling and what their facial expression is like. What their body language is like, are their arms crossed or do they look tense or anxious?
You can look at their tone as well. Is it excited or do they seem exasperated or frustrated? These are all things you need to look for and will add valuable context to your conversations. As well as what’s being communicated. Learning how to be a better and active listener takes practice and won’t happen overnight, it’s an ongoing process that you need to place your time into.
If you have any questions or have anything else to add, please let us know in the comments! We love to hear everyone’s feedback!