Different jobs have different requirements. While one position might require you to know technology inside and out, another might value creativity more than anything else.
The Hard Skills You Shouldn’t Try To Get A Job Without
It’s understandable why because a person who’s done a similar job before will have both knowledge and experience at their disposal.
Of course, if candidates always get overlooked for not having worked somewhere before, how are they ever supposed to get started?
Regardless of what you’re applying for or where you plan on working, some expectations are fairly universal.
We’re talking about specific hard skills that the vast majority of employers expect you to have.
These can make a big difference to whether or not you score a job, especially if you’re well versed in them.
So, if you’re struggling to land work, make sure it’s not one of these six skills that are letting you down.
Management Skills
If you’re trying to score your first job, you might think that having management skills would be hard to pick up.
However, there are plenty of opportunities for you to develop them before entering the world of work.
For instance, taking charge of group projects or organizing events at school are excellent ways to showcase your management abilities.
Elements like time management also come under this skillset, both of which aren’t hard to come by if you don’t leave work until the last minute.
Having such skills are always preferable to an employer because it assures them you’ll be able to handle your workload without much difficulty.
Plus, if you can demonstrate your management skills while on the job, you’ll boost your chances of promotion later down the line.
Don’t worry if this isn’t your area of expertise, though.
There are ways to improve time management and other similar skills if they’re lacking, so they don’t interfere with your job prospects.
Computer Skills
If you don’t know your way around a computer, it can be a considerable disadvantage in the modern workplace.
Most office jobs rely on this technology, whether you’re a writer, accountant, or digital marketer.
Even trade jobs, which are generally spent away from computers, require this tech from time to time. So, the more experience you have, the better it will benefit you.
Fortunately, as you’ve grown up in the digital age, it’s likely you’re more than familiar with all the gadgets of today.
However, that might not be the case if you didn’t have regular access to this stuff during childhood. In which case, it’s worth making sure you understand the basics, such as surfing the web, using Microsoft applications like word and excel, and using email.
Putting this hard skill on a CV might seem redundant unless your expertise is above and beyond the norm.
However, it’s definitely worth having it because if an employer has to take time teaching you the basics, they may have second thoughts about hiring you.
Analytical Skills
Many important decisions in business are made based on data.
For instance, if a social media marketing campaign isn’t going as planned, the right data can tell you where the issue is, allowing you to find a solution.
This can then make the difference between continuing an unsuccessful campaign that hurts profits and running a successful one that generates leads and boosts sales.
Analysing a problem and reaching a solution is something that all employees should be able to do because issues can crop up anywhere.
It doesn’t matter whether you spend your day dealing with computers, calculators, or cars; analysis will play an essential role in what you do. That’s why it’s one of the most treasured hard skills out there.
Having basic analytical skills is enough in plenty of cases, especially if you’re looking for your first job.
However, an advanced understanding is always good for anyone who wants to excel and have a greater impact on their business.
Luckily, you can earn a business analytics certification through online courses, which will take your understanding to the next level.
If you commit yourself to several months of additional education, you can walk away with the analytical skills needed to thrive in the modern-day.
Research Skills
At some point during your education, research will have played a pivotal role in whether or not you got a good grade.
Being able to look up information and extract what’s necessary is a good skill to have, and one that an employer will value.
The main reason for this relates to how knowledgeable it makes you.
While you can obviously learn things from colleagues and higher-ups on the job, it’s good to go into the position already knowing quite a bit.
Plus, if you lack experience, one of the few places you’re going to find such information is through research.
If you have these skills and put them to use before an interview, it can really set you apart from everyone else.
Not only can you demonstrate a thorough understanding of the work, but you can also show you’re familiar with the company as a whole.
You don’t need to research every little thing about them and reel it off during the interview.
However, making relevant points from what you’ve discovered online will show initiative, intelligence, and genuine interest in the job.
World Youth Skills Day: Aspiring to Develop a Resilient Youth
Writing Skills
Communication is generally considered to be a soft skill. However, it ties into certain hard skills, namely writing.
No one has to be a wordsmith to land a job unless they’re applying for a writing position.
However, everyone should have a decent grasp of the written language and how to communicate effectively through it.
Even if you only use this skill for crafting emails, it’s still essential that you know what you’re doing here.
Improper grammar and punctuation use can make you appear unprofessional, which may send the wrong impression to management or clientele.
That means it’s vital you understand the difference between your and you’re, their, they’re and there, and so on.
It will be pretty noticeable if you’re lacking in this department when you apply for a job, given that a CV and cover letter are typically required.
You could convince someone else to do this for you, but that won’t benefit you in the long run.
Marketing Skills
This is admittedly a hard skill that is less generalized, although there are still many jobs where understanding marketing is essential.
After all, employees who can effectively market a business are likely considered a valuable asset by many leaders.
The types of marketing skills worth having vary depending on what you do.
However, the most preferred ones are digital-based, such as search engine optimization, google analytics, an understanding of social media, and marketing research.
With these at your disposal, it’s not hard to convince an employer that you have the means to increase interest in the business.
That means a greater likelihood of successful sales, which results in bigger profits for them and the company.
The most vital hard skills for your line of work will differ depending on what you specialize in.
However, the ones listed above are almost always ideal to have, no matter what job you’re going for.
If you don’t yet have them in your arsenal, it’s worth changing that immediately because you might not be able to thrive without them.
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