Business FeedbackA random late night thought (as you do!) prompted me to email approximately 40 businesses ranging from parent-owned small firms to multi-national companies.
The question asked was..... "What are the 3 key attributes you seek in future employees?" The first thing that surprised me was the immediacy of replies with over 50% replying with 24 hours! Many were delighted to even be asked. What was also interesting were the responses were heavily focused on the EQ (Emotional quotient) rather than IQ. The top 5 responses are below. Basic skills/knowledge were rated a lowly 11th out of responses. 1. Inter-personal skills / Collaborative 2. Confident Communicators 3. Adaptability 4. Can do attitude 5. Resilience / Work ethic My thoughts about this... High powered jobs now ask for people that are analytical, highly collaborative, & strong communicators. Basic routine skills and knowledge are often at risk of computerisation and tend to be lower level roles. Many businesses shared that basic skills are not as important as the ability to learn on the job. The Alvin Toffler quote (top) and Tony Wagner quote (right) encapsulate this nicely. |
Employability Skills can be defined as the transferable skills needed by an individual to make them ‘employable’. Along with good technical understanding and subject knowledge, employers often outline a set of skills that they want from an employee.
These skills are what they believe will equip the employee to carry out their role to the best of their ability. Employability depends on your knowledge, skills and attitudes, how you use those assets, and how you present them to employers. The table below has been compiled by a range of UK-based companies (see company details at the end of this guide), and it lists the Top 10 Employability Skills which they look for in potential employees – that means you! We asked the companies to define exactly what these skills mean, and how you could show evidence of these skills in an interview or application for a job. |
employability_skills_guide.pdf | |
File Size: | 308 kb |
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