Skills jobseekers should possess in the year ahead

Skills jobseekers should possess in the year ahead

While every jobseeker has his or her own unique skill set, there are certain abilities and characteristics most employers find more desirable in potential employees. If individuals want to get serious about landing their ideal position in 2013, it may be time for them to consider taking a career test to see just how attractive a candidate they are in today's competitive job market.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal spoke to a few employment professionals about the skills they believe jobseekers must possess in 2013. As it turns out, many of them are skills that have been considered important for many years now.

Flexibility
The skills that employers value today may not be what they have a need for one year from now. For this reason, both the employed and the unemployed need to remain flexible and ready to learn new skills if they wish to remain competitive.

"A lot of companies want us to work with their employees about how to get out of their comfort zone, how to adapt," Peter Handal, chief executive officer of Dale Carnegie Training, told the news source. "Somebody's job today may not be the same as next year."

Just as important as flexibility is adaptability and the ability to handle multiple priorities, according to Quintessential Careers. With this mix of skills, workers can set priorities and see to it that they complete the tasks at hand, all while adapting to changing conditions.

Communication skills
No matter what field individuals work in, good communication skills continue to be important. If jobseekers can speak and write effectively, they may have an advantage during the job search.

"I can walk away from a five-minute conversation and feel their enthusiasm and have a good understanding of what's important to them," Holly Paul, PricewaterhouseCoopers' recruiting leader, told the news outlet.

Personal branding skills
The rise of social media has made jobseekers' ability to build a personal brand a more important part of the job search. After all, the news source reported that human resources executives visit websites like LinkedIn and Twitter while researching candidates. An attractive personal brand could make them all the more desirable to hiring managers.

Soft skills
While certain skills may be more important to employers in the current job market, that does not mean others have gone out of fashion. Interpersonal abilities, dependability, leadership and problem-solving skills are all essential, according to Quintessential Careers.

 

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