Whenever a company has to choose from a shortlist of candidates, it focuses on that person who has the right mix of skills, experience and know-how in the reference sector. Do you have your own cocktail of skills in mind to present to a prospective new employer? Challenge yourself with these tips from the experts
Il skills cocktail demands is made up of a mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the basic ingredients, your technical skills, computer skills and language skills but these are obviously no longer enough in a highly competitive global market.
To mix a successful cocktail, in addition to basic skills, the so-called soft skills are equally important. What makes the difference, which adds that plus that makes a company choose you, are your soft skills and these have to do with your social skills, your ability to enter and relate to a market or what changes quickly, knowing how to communicate, knowing how to handle particularly stressful situations, autonomy, self-esteem, trust, motivation….
In the moment of the evaluation these skills have their own weight. Let's see some of them: ability to adapt to the needs of the organization, ability to collaborate with others in a constructive way, ability to listen, sense of responsibility, ability to manage conflict, ability to manage attitudes, points of view, differences especially in a global world and multicultural.
For example for a manager position some key skills are: the ability to influence others, the ability to communicate clearly and openly as well as actively listen, the ability to organize and manage a team, the ability to delegate, the ability to motivate, encourage.
Do you know what your soft skills are? You probably already have more than you think if you know your resources, your potential and your personal qualities well, what you have learned from your studies, from your experiences in the professional field or from the activities you are most passionate about in the extra-work field .
These skills really make the difference if you want to stand out, convince those who select you that you are the right person. These soft skills are the treasure you can rely on and that you can transfer to any type of profession. But that's not enough. You can develop others with practice, keeping up to date, getting to know your strengths and latent potential in ever greater depth.
Are you ready to promote your skills to the fullest? The first step is your CV. There are many soft skills and depending on the type of job you are applying for some may be more important than others to good performance. Think about the ones you now own and decide which of these to focus on, which ones to focus on.
For example, if the job position is in sales, three of the main skills you need to possess are the ability to communicate, the ability to persuade and the ability to negotiate. Highlight them in your CV and support what you say with concrete data.
Giving the numbers
The numbers have an impact and help you to enhance your product. Quantify the result. Companies think with a mathematical mind. Numbers are data, not opinions. Learn to analyze the results of your work experiences, what you have learned to do.
One way to tell the results you have successfully achieved and to look at the work situation from the point of view of whoever is on the other side is to learn to use the PEP formula (Profitability, Efficiency, Productivity), following these track questions. How did you contribute to the profitability of the company(s) you worked for in terms of savings, earnings, increases (estimate a percentage, a numerical figure). How did you contribute to efficiency (for example: cost reduction)? How have you contributed to productivity?
