DESIREABLE EMPLOYEE QUALITIES - Class News



DESIREABLE EMPLOYEE QUALITIESCommunication SkillsThe focus on communication skills is so common that you should assume that every job requires them—and employers say so too! Assume that communication skills are important for every job and try to demonstrate them in your resume. There is a mountain of evidence from research on employment interviews that candidates demonstrating good communication skills tend to get the highest ratings. There is no reason why you cannot demonstrate these skills in your resume.Who Will You Communicate With?The degree of skills you need to demonstrate will depend on the type of job you are going for. The job might involve communicating with any of the following:People in your team or departmentOther departments in the same organizationOther organizations or the publicSpecial groups, such as the young or elderlyInfluential or senior clients, such as corporate sponsorsLawyersGovernment officialsSenior managersWhat difference does it make who you communicate with? Different situations make different demands on you and you should be aware of the sorts of communication you may need. While an employer might tolerate the occasional gruff tone or mildly sarcastic remark within the confines of the office, a very dim view will be taken of such behavior in front of clients.Look at the job ad or description and try to establish who you might be communicating with the most. The skills required may range from being able to understand and relay telephone messages clearly to writing an extensive report or proposal, or presenting a sales pitch to customers. Questions to ask yourself are the following:Do I speak clearly in English?Can I write clearly?Am I able to understand what people are saying to me on most occasions?Can I explain things to people clearly?So How Do I Demonstrate These Skills on My Resume?You could draw on your work history. For instance, passing a typing test might suggest you can spell accurately, as would shorthand skills. Work as a receptionist or a sales representative suggests that you can communicate verbally and effectively. Giving presentations to clients, or other public speaking experiences such as Toastmasters, look good.Team SkillsWhat this means is that you are happy and effective working in groups with other people. You are happy to work together, share information, and help out team members when they are struggling. You tend to like people, and are reasonably well liked. It sometimes seems that “team player” is added to just about every job ad without any real reason. As a general rule, it is code for saying “Do you get along with other people, or are you selfish and unpleasant?” Some people think the expression “team player” refers to membership in sporting teams. Generally, this is not the case, and it is better to use examples of your team skills drawn from work experience. Of course, if you cannot think of any convincing examples from work, then you might consider using some limited examples from your hobbies.Attention to DetailMany jobs request this skill. Just because this quality is not included in an advertisement, do not assume it is not important. Making silly mistakes in some jobs, such as an accounting clerk position where large sums of money may be involved, can lead to very expensive outcomes! In a study we conducted, where we deliberately included spelling mistakes on some resumes but not on others, we found that even one error reduced the chance of the candidate being interviewed by between 30 and 45 percent. Think about it—just a minor effort can reduce your chances of being interviewed by almost half!Energy, Dynamism, Enthusiasm, Drive, and InitiativeNobody wants to employ somebody who slumps in their seat, seems to take forever to carry out the most trivial tasks, and sighs deeply every time they are asked to do something. The organization looking for qualities such as energy and enthusiasm is looking for someone who is alert, gets on with their work quickly and without unnecessary complaint, and (within reason) will find solutions to problems rather than find problems with solutions.Ability to Handle PressurePressure varies from job to job, but the request for this ability is an indication that things might get very busy from time to time—for example, work in a fire department or with the police force, where lapses of concentration or failures of nerve have potentially fatal outcomes. What the employer wants to see is evidence that you will respond to the challenge and perhaps work faster or longer hours on occasion to meet deadlines or reduce the backlog. What they are saying is they do not expect you to lose your temper or take sick leave at the first sign of pressure. Pressure in some jobs will be immediate, such as a long line of irritated customers. Or it could be long-term stress, such as the pressure to build all the stadiums for the Olympic Games on time!LeadershipLeadership is one of those qualities that tends to get thrown into a job ad without much justification. For a start, nobody can agree on what makes a good leader. However, if you can demonstrate that you have managed a team of people successfully—either by length of time in the position (this says that if you were not a good leader, you would have been moved on quickly) or by tasks achieved by a group under your management—this may be the sort of thing the employer is looking for. Equally, being elected to a chairperson’s role or similar job would suggest that you inspire the confidence of others. ................
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