Got interviewed for a job, felt like you’ve aced it, but ended up not moving onto the next recruitment stage? You believe you have the right skills, qualifications, and is the “best” candidate for the job, but you still got rejected? Chances are, your recruiter might have overlooked the “dynamic skills set” you have and focused more determining if you fit the organization’s culture or not.
Nowadays, the term “employability skills”, “communication skills”, or “workplace skills”, pretty much sums up the interpersonal skill set that recruiters search for. These are personal qualities and values you bring in to an organization as a benefit on how you can contribute positively through a given role at an organization.
Employability skills include:
- Communication Skills
- Using IT resources at work
- Teamwork
- Workplace Safety
- Job Interview Skills
- Time Management
- Presentation Skills
- Customer Service
- Problem Solving
- Numeracy Skills
Why are recruiters looking for these skills?
These “transferable skills” are entirely separate from your technical skills. From the sample scenario earlier, you may be the most qualified candidate with the best skills set and work experience, however not having the right interview skills can either make or break your chances landing this job. Or perhaps, a position you got hired for requires a lot of time management skills yet you fail on prioritizing tasks and responsibilities often.
Recruiters seek for these skills to help them determine your effectiveness in performing a certain job position in the long run. Moreover, they look for signs of your capacity to grow in an organization and make you a long-term asset to the business. Longevity and effectivity are two important indicators of a good candidate, as this can lead to less resources being spent on replacing job vacancies by an organization.
In a highly challenging business climate, organizations cannot afford to spend on high employee turnovers (or the rate that measures the number of workforce leaving an organization). Therefore, recruiters are on a hunt to hire top talents with extensive employability skills, scouting out the best candidates at any industry.
Acquiring the right hard skills can definitely qualify you for a certain job, but having employability skills in your back pocket will surely boost your chances landing into one!
