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6 Factors Of Career Success
What do employers look for in potential employees? That was the
question that was posted recently on a career discussion forum
online. Naturally, for each different position, the particular
answers to that question would be different. However, there are
some common skills that employers look for in all employees,
whether the employee happens to be a network engineer or a fry
cook.
In-Demand Skills for Success
1. BASIC SKILLS, Reading, writing and arithmetic! Believe it or
not, a good portion of high school graduates (and some college
grads) do not read at an 8th grade level and cannot do
multiplication in their head. Employers are seeking employees
who can read well, can write coherently, and who can calculate
mathematics in a business environment (fractions, percentages,
etc.) Add to that the modern basic skills of keyboarding skill,
basic computer knowledge, and ability to use most computerized
tools (e.g. fax machine, basic word processing program, etc.) to
round out the basic skill sets needed for employment success.
2. PERSONAL SKILLS, Can a potential employee speak well? Can
he/she answer questions of customers in a positive, informative
manner? Can the prospect provide good customer service? While
not everyone has an outgoing sales' personality, successful
employees can communicate in a non-confrontational, positive
manner with their coworkers, team members, subordinates,
management, and customers. Being able to work well with others
is a vital skill for success in all jobs.
3. JOB ATTAINMENT, Job search is a process that requires a great
deal of dedication and attention to be conducted successfully.
It follows the old principal that many veteran programmers refer
to as GIGO , Garbage In, Garbage Out. If you put lousy effort
in, you will receive lousy results. Employers are seeking
employees who know how to present themselves in a positive
manner and who display enthusiasm and knowledge about the
companies they approach. Not only do candidates get evaluated on
their skills and experience, but also on how they are
approaching the job search. Enthusiastic candidates with fewer
skills have an even chance of getting the job as dull candidates
with better skills.
4. JOB SURVIVAL, Now there's a hot topic in this period of
layoffs. Who gets the ax and who doesn't is often a matter of
numbers, but it is also often a matter of performance. Employees
who have consistently demonstrated their worth, taken
initiative, and made themselves a valuable asset to the company
have lower incidences of being downsized than employees who put
forth mediocre or average effort in their jobs. Surviving within
a company through layoffs or moving up the career ladder is a
success skill that is learned and is consciously cultivated
among successful professionals.
5. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, As all high tech and engineering
pros know, it's learn or burn in today's work environment.
Attaining new skills, applying new concepts, updating
established skills is an absolute necessity to succeed in
today's work force. The successful individual is constantly
attending seminars, taking classes, attaining training on new
products or releases, and otherwise learning new skills that
will keep them marketable in their careers. Successful people
are lifelong learners. Employers are looking for people who have
the training necessary to fulfill their needs.
6. CAREER DEVELOPMENT, Career Development differs from
Professional Development. Professional Development is learning
while Career Development is a planning and goal setting process.
Successful individuals design a career plan with written goals
for short term and long term. They lay out the steps needed to
move their careers from Point A to Point B within Time Frame C
and plan how they are going to achieve those steps. Successful
people have someone to whom they are accountable for their
progress and who will monitor their success in achieving their
goals. Employers are seeking individuals who (believe it or not)
wish to commit to the company for a long period of time. Good
career progression is a high selling point of candidates to
prospective employers.
How do you measure up? Do you have the 6 In-Demand Skills for
Success? Feel like you need some help? Give us a call!
About the author:
Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been cited by Jist
Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North
America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street
Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+
organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit
and is a frequent keynote speaker. http://getinterviews.com
Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC
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