What Skills Employers Seeking
After years of studying, writing essays and sitting through hours upon hours of lectures and labs you are finally a graduate. As you transition from being a full-time student to a full-time professional you might be wondering what skills you need. As you read on, you’ll learn about some skills employers will seek as you enter the workforce.
6 Skills Employers Seek Out in New Graduates
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Teamwork/collaboration
- Oral/written communication
- Leadership
- Flexibility/adaptability
- Professionalism and a strong work ethic
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
A whopping 79% of employers look for problem-solving skills in new grads. Challenges happen, and companies want employees equipped with the skills to overcome them.
Going hand in hand with problem-solving, 76% of hiring managers are also looking for critical thinking. Like problem-solving, this skill involves gathering and assessing information to make appropriate and effective decisions.
You don’t need job experience to acquire or prove you have these skills. Using anecdotes from your own life are great ways to emphasize your skills to employers. Interviewers will use behavioural questions that often begin with “tell me about a time when” or “give me an example of” to test for these skills. If you’re unsure how to tackle these questions, the STAR method can help you out.
- Teamwork and collaboration
While most of your work in university and college reflects yourself alone, the workplace is full of collaboration and teamwork. The work you do reflects yourself and your coworkers and the company. You will find your colleagues are made up of various personality types which is why 81% of employers want to know you can work well with others.
Knowing how to delegate, being open to direction and being able to navigate differing opinions are all part of collaborating. Playing a school team sport or working on group projects are all great experiences that will teach you the value of teamwork.
- Verbal and written communication
Whether you’re speaking to clients or colleagues, it’s important to employers that you know how to communicate effectively and efficiently.
73.2% of employers believe proper verbal communication skills are a must for new graduates.
Expressing yourself verbally is one of the main ways you can give a good first impression and set the tone for how others perceive you. Being well prepared for your interview will help you give a great first impression and show off those verbal communication skills.
Written communication skills are sought out in new grads by 72.7% of hiring managers.
Your cover letter and resume are great ways to demonstrate this skill and make that first impression on potential employers.
- Leadership
About 68% of hiring managers look for potential hires with leadership skills. Employers believe employees with these skills and qualities tend to be loyal, stay in jobs longer, have fewer absences and have higher morale levels.
As a new graduate, you’ve probably never worked in any senior-level professional roles, but there are plenty of other ways you can demonstrate this strength. Executive positions like President or VP in your college or university clubs are perfect examples to highlight on your resume. Post-secondary education is never short of group projects. During interviews, mention any past group projects you took charge of. Getting recommendation letters from a former internship or job supervisor can also attest to your leadership skills.
- Flexibility/adaptability
Approximately 65.9% of employers look for qualities of flexibility and adaptability in new grads. As we saw with Covid-19, many companies made quick shifts from in-office to remote work. When changes like this occur, employees must be open to change and learn new skills to keep things moving. Depending on your line of work, you should know how to adjust and re-prioritize on the fly.
- Professionalism and strong work ethic
Regardless of what field you enter, a sense of professionalism and strong work ethic is never undesired. In fact, according to 65.4% of employers, it’s a must. It should go without saying that showing up on time, producing quality work and always striving for better are all part of being a successful employee.
Need some extra help?
Working with a recruitment agency like Live Assets | Staffing Solutions can offer you advice on all things job hunting to help you kickstart your career.
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