5 Soft Skills That The Best Employees Possess

5 Soft Skills That The Best Employees Possess When hiring, a lot of focus is often placed on the technical skills and qualifications required for the job; however, if the candidate lacks soft skills they may not be the star employee that the employer is  hoping for! Soft skills refer to the qualities that an individual possess, that enables them to work well with others by communicating effectively and building relationships. It is these traits  that are the most transferrable between jobs and settings, so without them employees may struggle with simple day to day requirements of them, such as working in a team or dealing with conflict appropriately.  These kind of soft skills can be gained from all sorts of life experiences, from previous jobs, to responsibilities at home. The important thing is that the candidate knows how to make best use of them in a professional setting and in relation to their particular role. Though hard skills listed on your resume may land you an interview, it is your soft skills that will shine through during your interview and get you the job. Employers want to hire people who know how to conduct themselves professionally, as well as possessing the technical abilities for the job. Here are a few of the top soft skills that a candidate should possess to become a great all round employee: 1) Communication For a business to run smoothly, it is essential that the team communicate well with each other in order to exchange ideas and keep up to speed with everything going on within the company. This doesnt just mean simple exchange of information with colleagues, however; employers want their staff to be capable of thoroughly explaining their thoughts and ideas with detail and conviction. They must also be able to communicate  confidently and professionally with clients and customers, as they  are a representative of the company and poor conduct could reflect badly on the business. 2) Collaboration The ability to get along well with  others and work in a team is one of the most valuable attributes that an employee can possess. Collaborating with your team can generate creative ideas and get work completed much more efficiently. On the other hand, if someone is unwilling to cooperate or compromise when working alongside colleagues, it is likely that conflict could arise, creating a poisonous atmosphere, as well as causing  damage to the  running of the business. 3) Self-motivation The best staff are determined  and have the get-up-and-go to complete tasks efficiently and to the best of their ability. Its not always possible for somebody to offer employees constant guidance or stimulation  to get the job done, so its important that they can provide themselves with their own motivation and  can take initiative when necessary. A positive attitude goes a long way and can rub off on others in the team as well. 4) Problem solving Employers want employees who can think practically and creatively in order to resolve any issues that arise. Its inevitable that problems will occur that have potential to delay or hinder projects, so the employer wants to feel confident that their staff can handle them effectively and are up to the challenge, rather than struggling under pressure. 5) Time management One of the most important skills for an employee to  possess is  the ability to organise their  workload, in order for tasks to be completed as required and ensure deadlines are met. A good employee will know how to prioritise tasks appropriately and use their time wisely. Missing deadlines can hold the hold team back and throw projects off track, so it important that they are observed. [image credit: Shutterstock]

Going Freelance Is The Contracting Life For You

Going Freelance Is The Contracting Life For You If you’re thinking about your next step after uni, you’ll probably be thinking about in-house, permanent roles. For the majority of graduates, these positions offer the stability, employee benefits, support and training they need to get a foot on the career ladder. Yet, for some graduates, contracting work suits their lifestyles and their skill-sets much better. From IT to Engineering, contracting offers significant benefits and perks. There are, of course, risks â€" and greater responsibilities â€" yet, for the right person, a contracting lifestyle can be the perfect fit. In this article we’ll be exploring why a graduate might opt for a contractor’s career, who contracting roles are suitable for, and whether or not a contracting life is right for you. First Things First…What’s in it for You? There are a lot of perks to contracting. You make the decisions, you drive your career â€" ultimately you have total control over where you go, what you do and how you work. There’s also a financial incentive. Contractors often take home a bigger pay packet than their in-house counterparts. The freedom of contracting is also not to be overlooked â€" with the right skills and the right sort of drive, you can work anywhere in the world. Certain skills are always in demand, allowing you to travel far and wide, making money all the while! That fabled spice of life, variety, is also enjoyed by contractors. Contracts are typically short, so you’ll be hopping from job to job and place to place, as regularly as 6-monthly. On top of all these benefits, you’ll also find that your tax can be significantly reduced. Taking the right advice from the right professionals will allow you to maximize your earnings in a way that conventional employees simply can’t. OK, so What about the Downsides? There are a few downsides to be aware of. There is significantly less job security â€" if you don’t stay at the top of your game, you could find yourself languishing in unemployment. There’s also less in the way of support â€" you’ll receive zero employee benefits â€" no sick pay, no maternity leave, no paid holiday, and no training. On top of this, you’ll have to handle the administrative side of your contracting â€" you’ll be self-employed, which means an awful lot of paperwork and accounts to deal with. For the right person, though, this is all worth it! Is Contracting Right for You? If you have drive, a sense of adventure and relish adapting to new circumstances, contracting is almost certainly a good path for you to go down. You’ll need the ambition to keep chasing the right roles and the organizational skills to keep track of your accounts, yet you’ll also enjoy freedom, variety and challenge a-plenty. There are some skills and roles more suited to contractors than others. Sectors like IT, Oil and Gas, Security, Aviation, Medicine, Finance and Law include many opportunities for the right contractors. The trick to finding your gap in the market is insider industry knowledge. A good agent or representative will help you sniff out the opportunities you want and get you into the position you need. Et voila! You’re contracting!

Does Social Recruiting Really Matter

Does Social Recruiting Really Matter I’ve seen a number of posts speculating about the importance of social recruiting and to be  honest, I don’t think the critics have managed to convince themselves, let alone their readers. They have said social recruiting doesn’t matter or that “it’s a waste of time”, despite the fact  there are many others saying otherwise and many benefits your company stands to take  advantage of. Having read around the subject, I’m now tempted to agree and thought I’d write  my own post for why there’s absolutely no reason you should use social recruiting. If it works, use it forever. If there’s one thing you learn in the recruiting industry, it’s that once you find a method that  works, you should stick with it forever, because trends don’t change. What worked once, will  always work, right? It’s why scientists never try to repeat the results of experiments and it’s why  you should stick to the recruiting methods of 20 years ago. Ignore the decline of newspapers  classified ads in favor of Ebay. Keep posting all of your jobs for your big company in  newspapers. And whilst you are at it, make sure you’re constantly cold-calling people about  jobs, too. Why would you need something new like social recruiting, when you have the good old  newspapers to keep your hiring efforts bringing elite talent to your door from now until the end of  time? No one else is using it. Let’s face it. “Social recruiting” is a marketing term cooked up by “recruiting departments” in  order to sell “recruiters” on “products.” No one really uses it. Especially not 92% of businesses. It’s just another keyword that won’t sell because it offers no advantage over other recruiting  methods. And if no one’s using it, then clearly it’s not any good, right? We can safely ignore its  rise in usage over the last several years and continue our current method of recruiting: yelling at  people on the street (or in the pub!), asking if they’re looking for a job and have a degree in the  field you’re looking for. That’s what we all do. There are no benefits to social media. For the sake of argument, let’s assume a few things. First, let’s assume walking into people’s  places of work and asking them if they wouldn’t be better off working somewhere else isn’t the  only viable recruitment strategy. Second, let’s assume this whole “social media” thing actually  existed. Even if those two things were true, there’s no way social recruiting could improve any of  the following aspects of recruiting by the respective amounts: Quality of candidates 44% Quantity of candidates 44% Time-to-hire 34% Employee referrals 30% So as you can see, social recruiting doesn’t matter at all. We should continue to use the same  recruiting methods we have been for years, social recruiting will never help you because no  one’s on it when they check their phones all day, and it doesn’t have any noticeable benefits. Okay, let’s drop the charade. Clearly, social recruiting is one of the best ways for recruiting  to fill jobs for the exact opposite reasons as the one’s I’ve outlined here. It totally does matter  and anyone who thinks otherwise is really missing out.

Managers put up walls for you to break through - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Managers put up walls for you to break through - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career One tactic I find commonly used in the workplace by the most experienced managers is to set up scenarios where their subordinates are tested.   Managers who have high confidence in certain individuals, or are who are wondering what workload they can handle will use this tactic, especially if pressure has been applied to them from above.   I call this concept the wall, just like any other wall that is a challenge to pick through or get around, in management the wall is a test to see if individuals have what it takes to break through it. These walls are obstacles and opportunities for you in the workplace and are the only way you can truly learn and break on through to the otherside or be promoted.   People are promoted because the scope of their jobs and responsibilities have expanded and they have been able to handle it.   In order to do this, you must not only work harder, work smarter, but be strategic in how you handle your new responsibilities. What this means for your Personal Brand:  A promotion is an increase in your total perceived value When you are pushed down and pressure is applied, you learn more and knowledge is power Your boss will have more confidence in you, causing your credibility to increase You will be given more important projects, which will boost your resume Opportunities may be created for you to network cross-functionally Either way, you must seize this opportunity by displaying professionalism, competency and having a positive attitude.   You should want your manager to keep putting up walls, so you get stronger and stronger and your brand thrives in the process!

How to build a career plan - Debut

How to build a career plan - Debut “What are your next steps?” If you’re near the end of your degree, you may notice a lot of people asking you this question.   But what if you don’t have a plan for your career yet?   Not knowing what to do after university can be stressful. Unsurprisingly, many students in the final year of their degree put off even thinking about their career until after graduation.   However, this is not wise if you want to give yourself the best chance of securing a graduate-level job. Having a solid career plan will help you to make more informed career choices and make your graduate job search much easier.   So we’re going to outline our two-step method to help you formulate your graduate career plan. Understand your career typology Companies hire 3 different types of graduate: Specialists to apply specific knowledge they gained from their degree such as knowing how to code. Knowledge Architects to analyse data, and derive valuable insights from them. Communicators to formulate and maintain excellent internal and client relationships.   Knowing which type of graduate you are will help you to refine your job search.   We’ve already created a post on how to discover your career path, which explains the 3 graduate job typologies in greater detail. Action point 1: Read our post on how to discover your career path.   Action point 2: Identify your career typology.   Test your hypothesis Now that you know what your career typology is, the next thing to do is to test your hypothesis.   Say youve identified that youre a knowledge architect who has an analytical mind and loves to make data-driven decisions; perhaps you’ve also discovered that with these characteristics you feel as though you would be suited to a career in finance.   Work out if this is the right graduate role for you Action point 3: Head to the ‘Opportunities’ tab of the Debut app, and use the filter to identify jobs that you feel would be suitable for you. Action point 4: Read the job descriptions very carefully to get a good grasp of the types of tasks you’ll need to fulfil in the role. This will also help you identify what graduate recruiters will be looking for in potential employees. Next, youll need to figure out if the role you’re considering is right for you, and how youll demonstrate your suitability to graduate recruiters. In The Student Book, Graduate Coach Chris Davies outlines the 70:20:10 model, and how it is used by companies worldwide to train and develop employees’ skills. You can also apply this method now to see if the role you’re interested in is really for you: 70:20:10 Action point 5: Reflect on your degree and identify the skills, knowledge or experiences you’ve gained that would be relevant for the role, and look online for any free online courses. This relates to the 10% on the diagram above. Action point 6: Arrange some shadowing experience in the role you’re interested in. Search your network to see if you can gain insights from someone whos already in the role you want. This relates to the 20% on the diagram above. Action point 7: Get a work experience placement in the area you’re interested in. Even if you can only do it for a few days, getting first-hand insights will really help you to work out if the role is right for you. This relates to the 70% on the diagram above. Remember: There are numerous different graduate job roles that fall under each of the three career typologies. If you later find out that the role you wanted isnt quite right, you can simply look into other graduate roles within your typology. How to build a career plan: Summary Many students and recent graduates try to map out their career plan based on assumptions. However, it’s so important to make informed career decisions based upon taking action and gaining real insights. Think of it this way: if you’re able to justify to yourself you are suited to a particular role, you’ll be in a much better position to convince a graduate recruiter during the application process. If you require any help with mapping out your graduate career plan, visit the Graduate Coach website.

Change Careers and Crush It in Your New Job

Change Careers and Crush It in Your New Job All You Need is 10% the  10% Win   to Change Careers and Succeed in a New Job   Leaders everywhere are always looking for the secret sauce to motivate their teams and achieve high performance. You, as a bold career changer, are a leader too â€" of your  own  professional life. You may not have a team supporting you, but you absolutely have control over your career. The key is  not  to  spend your time doing things that aren’t really helping you reach your goal; consider  a new job in a new field or a more challenging opportunity in a new organization. A word of caution as you navigate this change: Don’t  confuse  activity  with achievement. Just because you’re doing  something  doesn’t mean you’ll get the end result you desire. Thinking  lots of activity  is  the answer to all of your challenges will only leave you stuck and falling further  behind rather  than  moving ahead to  where you want to be. It’s All About the  â€œ10% Win”  to Successfully Change  Careers Pete Williams, entrepreneur, advisor,  marketer,  and author of  Cadence: A Tale of Fast Business Growth,  developed the concept of the “10% Win” when he was working as the CEO of Infiniti Telecommunications. He discovered that key to a  growing and  thriving  business is to improve certain critical actions and results by 10%.  Here’s how  it  can work for you when  you are ready to  transition  to a new career: 1 Increase the number of job applications you submit  by 10%.   2 Increase the amount of time spent job searching  by 10%.   3 Increase the time spent on education in your new field of interest  by 10%.   4 Increase the amount of time networking  by 10%.   By following these  steps, you’ll be on your way to landing the new position that you worked so hard for.  And  then  apply the 10% Win to be  an unbelievable employee  once you start in your new role.   4 Ways the 10% Win Can Make Your Career Soar   1 You have a goal, and you know how to reach it. Tenacity is your middle name. You don’t let obstacles stand in your way and you know how to look at the business and improve the bottom line by 10%.   2 You are a strong leader for your team. You can look at your team and its activities and recognize the weaknesses and strengths. Knowing that if you improve all areas by 10%, your success will grow at a greater rate than  just focusing on  one or the other.   3 You get wins quickly and easily.   No one has to tell you what to do. With the 10% Win  strategy, you know what to do and how to do it. Micro-managers aren’t necessary!   4 You position yourself for growth and promotion. By improving your team’s performance and results, your boss and your boss’s boss will notice. Take the opportunity to advance your career and the overall success of the company.   Take control of your career and where you want it to go. Since you can  use the same process  over and over again, whether you’re looking for a new position or a new company, your success is unlimited. When it comes down to it, you  only  need to  improve  or increase your  current results or  critical actions  by  just  10%. That’s something you  can  get behind for the sake of your  career. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class ® right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!

Resume Writing Tips For 2020

Resume Writing Tips For 2020The following list of resume writing tips for 2020 is not exhaustive, but it should give you an idea of what to expect in the months and years ahead. As the economy begins to take a turn for the better, employers are more willing to take risks on those who have a proven track record.As far as resumes go, it's essential that they contain plenty of interesting information. This includes facts about the person's education, previous work experience, hobbies, and family. Use as many examples as possible of the type of work experience you want to include. This will also help make your resume unique, and your future employer will want to know why they shouldn't simply send out the same resume to everyone.While most people enjoy a good coffee before an interview, it can't be a substitute for food and drink - unless you have an excellent memory. If you don't remember the last time you had a caffeine fix, it's probably best to put a timeout on your resume. Besides, you don't want your future employer to think that you are lacking stamina as a human being.Add some writing samples to your resume to show how well-versed you are in the field you are applying for. Include a portfolio or display of the work that you have done for others. This should also be consistent with what you've mentioned in your written resume. For example, if you're writing about your artistry, include pictures of paintings, sculptures, or digital photographs.As long as your impressive portfolio shows proof of skills you are able to offer, you will win the nod of the hiring manager. If you are not sure about how to submit a resume online, consult a professional. Do not make the mistake of thinking this task is impossible, because in the beginning, it was very easy for individuals to prepare and present their resumes online. Add one or two photos to your resume. When you mention that you love birds, show photos of yourself holding or otherwise displaying birds. You will appea r more like a natural bird enthusiast, which is a big plus when looking for a job in the natural sciences.One of the main parts of a resume is its contact information. Include this area on the cover page. Make sure you provide your email address so that your prospective employer can get in touch with you directly if they need additional information.If your future employer has a hard time dealing with you, he or she may make you feel uncomfortable by asking you awkward questions, such as your height, weight, and why you want to pursue a career in sales or marketing. Show your potential employer that you are able to handle the questions without getting upset, and you will quickly become an asset to the company you are looking for.