Top 10 Employable Skills: Importance and Ways to Improve Them

If you’re in the market for a job change or career growth, it is important to remember that in addition to your hard skills and subject expertise, hiring managers also look at other skills before making you an offer. These are called employable skills, and even if they aren’t mentioned in the job description, these can often be the make-or-break factor in your recruitment. This article provides an overview of employable skills, their importance, the 10 most sought-after employable skills, and how to improve them to get hired. 

Employable skills are transferable skills that make individuals employable. These are related to a person’s knowledge, attitudes, and values which are important for growth in every job. Communication, leadership, time management, and teamwork are some of the desirable personal qualities you need to constantly utilize to effectively function and tackle issues at work. And these are transferable to whichever job you take on.

Importance of Employable Skills

Here are some reasons why employable skills are important. They help you:

• Stand out from the competition   
• Work effectively with coworkers and clients
• Build good work relationships    
• Grow the organization  
• Meet business goals     
• Ensure strong company culture

ALSO READ: Wondering How to Effectively Measure Soft Skills? This Guide Can Help!

Top 10 Employable Skills

1. Communication

Communication is the ability to express your ideas and opinions with others. Clearly articulating yourself verbally, and in writing, is an essential skill to thrive in any workplace since it allows individuals to express their ideas, listen, empathize, build rapport, resolve issues, and collaborate. 

How to improve communication: 

• Practice your written and verbal skills 
• Proofread before you send 
• Make your message clear and simple 
• Work on body language and emotional intelligence 

2. Teamwork

Teamwork is the ability to work amicably with colleagues to achieve a shared goal. It is one of the most widely-regarded employable skills and an indicator of long-term success in an organization. Teamwork can help you create a positive work environment, complete projects, and reach goals.  

How to improve teamwork: 

• Clarify your responsibilities
• Understand the team’s common goal 
• Have a positive mindset 
• Manage time effectively 

3. Problem Solving

Challenges and obstacles are a part of any business. Companies need employees who help them analyze issues and devise solutions. An employee who can problem-solve is a great asset to the organization as they can tackle setbacks and effectively resolve issues. 

How to improve problem solving: 

• Identify and understand the problem 
• Research and gather information
• Brainstorm effective solutions 
• Implement the best possible solution 

4. Reliability

Organizations want dependable employees who can hold themselves accountable, produce quality work, complete tasks, and meet deadlines. Reliability is an important quality that builds trust between an employee and employer, making it a highly sought-after skill. 

How to improve reliability: 

• Be truthful 
• Manage commitments 
• Respect deadlines
• Learn to be consistent 

5. Adaptability

Adaptability is an essential skill in today’s ever-changing work environment. As companies adopt new technologies and hybrid work cultures, they need employees who can quickly adapt to changes, learn, and not let such changes impact their work.  

How to improve adaptability: 

• Learn to embrace change 
• Be willing to learn 
• Practice being open-minded 
• Ask for feedback

6.  Planning and Organization

Planning and organizing can help you and others work efficiently, improve the workflow, and achieve goals. It ensures that work gets completed in a structured manner within a short time. 

How to improve planning and organization: 

• Identify goals and prioritize tasks 
• Create a timetable 
• Use time management tools 
• Be disciplined 

7. Leadership

Leadership is essential for all roles, regardless of the job title. It helps employees work effectively, motivate, and manage others, resulting in the growth and success of the organization.

How to improve leadership skills: 

• Identify your strengths and weaknesses 
• Empower your team 
• Keep learning 
• Improve your hard skills 

8. Learning

Learning is an essential ability to stay relevant and grow in your career. In constantly changing and evolving organizations, employees need to keep learning to improve their knowledge and skills.  

How to improve learning skills: 

• Identify a learning style
• Take online courses 
• Collaborate and study with others
• Practice makes perfect    

ALSO READ: How to Improve Communication Skills and Be More Effective at Work

9. Time Management

Time management is the ability to be efficient and use time effectively. Good time management skills enable you to complete tasks, prioritize work, manage work stress, and be productive. 

How to improve time management:  

• Create a work schedule 
• Track time and establish a deadline 
• Find techniques to maximize time
• Avoid multitasking 

10. Technology

In this tech-driven world, technology has become a vital employable skill across industries. Every employee should know how to use technology to perform regular work tasks relevant to their profession in order to keep up with workplace changes. 

How to improve technology skills: 

• Stay updated with the latest technologies in your industry
• Practice work on the digital tools 
• Create personal projects to learn and improve digital skills 
• Enroll in an online technology course

Examples of Employable Skills

Here are some more examples of employable skills that could help you stand out from the crowd: 

1. Critical thinking 
2. Self-management 
3. Initiative
4. Collaboration
5. Patience
6. Resilience
7. Emotional intelligence 
8. Confidence 
9. Stress Management 
10. Presentation 

How to Improve Employable Skills

1. Identify employable skills you want to improve. 
2. Ask for feedback.
3. Practice your skills.
4. Reflect on your capacities and improve accordingly.
5. Find a mentor to help you. 
6. Find new hobbies to help improve those skills. 
7. Participate in group activities.  
8. Sign up for online courses and workshops to enhance your employable skills.
9. Employable skills are best learned and improved with time while working; consider taking up internships and other opportunities.

Get Ready for a Lucrative Career

Employable skills are not just crucial for getting hired. They allow you to keep the job, build great relationships and careers, and ultimately help organizations flourish. If you want to improve your employable skills to effectively communicate, collaborate, problem solve, manage conflicts, create a positive environment, and become a dependable employee, these diverse range of courses offered by Emeritus will help you. Explore them to improve your employability. 

By Krati Joshi

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