What Skills do Employers Want? Top 5 Skills in Demand Employers Look for in Candidates

What Skills do Employers Want?

Over the past decades, every industry has experienced a shift in business paradigm. From high-tech companies to the education sector, the change in the business model has been observed to some extent. The change in the business model directly or indirectly influences current and future jobs. As the industry's demand has been changing with time, it is expecting something different from the potential candidates to fill those roles to meet the business needs.

In the current age, the paradigm change has led to the need for diversified individuals who can think differently. The minds that not only understand the changing pattern of the industry but also have unique, creative, and fresh ideas to solve the business problem with the help of technology.  

It is crucial to stand out from the crowd with a set of skills by understanding your specific industry. The recruiters of the current age need more from the candidates than the typical education and the hard skills that were considered sufficient to land the dream job. The shift has been seen towards soft skills such as good communication, understanding other cultures, and accepting viewpoints from a different angle, flexibility, adaptability, creativity and etc. 

What are Top 5 Skills Employers Look For?

Here are mentioned top 5 skills employers want that can be considered essential from the recruiter's end.

Emotional Intelligence and Pressure Handling

Most of us have studied about the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and firmly believe in having a high IQ if we want to qualify for selective tests or in any field of life. We are right to some extent, but here Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a vital and essential role in tackling issues and challenges that we face daily, both in our personal and professional life. EI stands above IQ as it covers the significant areas of life in solving the issues better by keeping the body and mind composed and how to absorb different social pressures and stressful situations calmly. The recruiters believe once the individual learns to be more intelligent emotionally, it will be easier for him to solve problems and conflicts professionally. This skill helps increase his productivity and will make him more result-oriented.

Communication Skills

Communication skill is considered an essential tool that will make you stand out from the crowd if you know how to use it correctly. The professionals believe that good communication is an art that can dominate a gathering.

 Many people possess good communication skills, but this quality may get suppressed sometimes due to shaky confidence. Good communication is not using high vocab words, but in the professional world, it is about how much you can clearly express or describe your idea to others.  

Good communication skill is also considered essential as it integrates you socially into the different cultures or the team belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds. It not only helps you to make a good rapport with the clients, but it also helps you to retain them for the long term basis.

Computer Skills: Artificial Intelligence

Technology is influencing businesses, and here we have come to the era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking over humans from the smaller to the more considerable level in every industry. Along with AI, another technology domain that helps build a career is a sound knowledge of computer skills. After COVID-19, many businesses have gone online, and this scenario is creating a high dependence on the usage of technology. Knowledge about ERP software, Zoom, Social Media usage, Cloud Computing, AI and Machine Learning, Digital data visualization and design, Digital product management, and many more are opening doors to better job opportunities for having such expertise.

At this time, the individuals need to be pro in computer skills, which can increase much more chances to get selected. To be chosen for the specific domain, the keen eye requires analyzing the current technology in practice. Acquiring those skills will also be beneficial in the longer run. 

Strategic Thinking Ability

Strategic thinking is about thinking in different ways to solve particular problems to reach your goals. This skill enables one to think critically about the complex situation and find good alternatives to not only eradicate that specific problem but that solution must be better for organizational improvement. This skill is devised to attain the preset objectives; it also helps to analyze the potential hurdles that can be faced towards fulfilling those goals and supports an intelligent plan to overcome those obstacles. For fast-paced companies, this skill is considered essential as it helps to make prompt decisions in uncertain situations.

In becoming a pro, it is crucial to have a mindset that will help you think strategically. You can train your mind by giving some critical conditions and brainstorming for better solutions. This skill will enable you to be a problem solver, a good analytical thinker, and a planner.

Team Work and Collaboration 

Now, companies are devising teamwork more rather than individual work. A team is a group of individuals who work together to achieve a common goal. The team is based on a group of people with different expertise who complement each other and is also crucial for accomplishing the goal. For goal fulfillment, synergy is vital, called collaboration, and considered one of the crucial skills from the recruiter's end. Companies are focusing more on team building to increase productivity, create a diversified culture, and develop social skills. 

To be good at teamwork, some attributes must be visible in your personality, such as good interpersonal skills, self-awareness, purpose-driven, punctuality, reliability, and respect towards others. 

Interpersonal relationships are highly valued in the corporate sector, so understanding, acquiring, and improving this skill must not be neglected. 

The present and future are the eras of skills. The more you improve your skill level the higher is chance to fit into the job criteria. During the recession, when the company chooses the layoff option, the more you become integral to the company the more the chance to survive in the tough time.