Many of the skills that employers want don’t require expensive degrees or training. If you are looking for a new job or want to improve your chances of getting promoted at your current job, it is important to know which work skills are the most valuable and what you can do to get them.
Check out these skills that can help you get a job, and you might even be able to get that six-figure salary.
Concise Communication
We all know that many employers value good communication skills, and being concise is one of the most important skills you can learn. It’s one of many things you can do to make it easier to get a job.
Igor Kholkin, an operations manager at the web design and marketing company Coalition Technologies, said that people who can make their point in as few words as possible make great managers. “They don’t waste time and can quickly explain anything.”
You don’t have to take a class in communication to be good at this skill. Kholkin suggested the following good habit to help you communicate better: Review each of your messages and cut out any “extra” words. This includes details, adverbs, and adjectives that don’t really add anything to a sentence but make it sound better.
He said, “The last message should include all the important information that needs to be said in as few words as possible.”
A high “emotional quotient”
Want your boss to like you? Kholkin said that being able to read and understand other people’s feelings is a highly valued but very underrated job skill.
He said, “The millennial generation loves leaders with high emotional intelligence (EQ).” “This means that people with a high EQ are promoted to positions of leadership.” Kholkin said this is because managers with a high EQ know how to get the most out of their employees in any field.
One way to get better at this important skill is to pay attention to how your own feelings affect how you act.
“Then you can use what you’ve learned to figure out what other people are feeling, learn how to understand them, and work with them to reach agreements,” said Kholkin. Your boss and coworkers will not only notice, but they will also admire and value your high EQ.
The ability to influence
Kholkin said that it is very important to be able to get people to do what you want them to do without forcing them. He said, “With this skill, the best team leaders will be able to naturally motivate their teams.” But keep in mind that real influencers are looked up to and not just feared or followed because they are good at debating.
Kholkin said that if you want to learn how to do this, you should be the person on your team who thinks and acts first. “Offer to do the hardest tasks or be the one to give a pep talk when a project is going through a rough patch.” “Be the first one to do something,” he said, “and you’ll get the team going.”
Positivity
No one likes a pessimist. A business owner and CEO of My Corporation, Deborah Sweeney, said that an employee who is positive, even when given a bad task, will be appreciated.
“Even though most employees just do their jobs, it’s noticeable when someone has a good attitude and works well with other team members and customers,” she said.
Tracking Everything
Graeme Austen, author of “Hired: A 21st Century Guide to Paying Yourself, Not Your “Duties,” said that one of the biggest mistakes professionals make is trying to remember what deals they closed or projects they finished right before their review.
The good news is that you don’t have to be smart or work hard to learn this skill, he said. All you have to do is make a spreadsheet with columns for each thing you’ve done. Make sure to include specifics like dates and explain how it helped the company.
He said, “This gives you a lot of negotiating power when it comes to your salary.”
Mindfulness
If you think you can rebalance your life by practicing mindfulness outside of work, you might want to think again. Studies show that this can be a very important job skill that can help you work faster and make better decisions.
There are many ways to train yourself to be more aware. For example, Judith Lukomski, the founder of Transitions Today Performance Consulting and a career coach, suggested yoga and meditation. But if those aren’t for you, you can still be mindful by giving your full attention to the present moment or task at hand.
Pay close attention to what you are doing. In other words, give your full attention to the task at hand while knowing how important it is.
Openness to Constructive Criticism
One of the most important skills for getting a job is being able to take constructive criticism, understand it, and learn from it.
Carlota Zimmerman, JD, a success strategist, said, “Know that when people take the time to give you constructive criticism, it’s a huge compliment. It means they care.” “They think you’re smart and want to help you get ahead.”
Say “I’m sorry” instead of trying to defend yourself when someone criticizes you to get better at this. “Admitting and learning from your mistakes is the only way to get to the top,” said Zimmerman.
Alec Sears, a communications specialist at Frontier Business, says that if you really want to do well at your job, you should actively look for criticism.
He said, “I’ve found that the best at anything are the ones who always ask questions, look for feedback, and look for ways to get better.” ” They are proactive instead of reactive. They stay ahead of trends instead of being swept away by them. It’s hard to live that way because, as people, we like to have routines and be comfortable where we are.
Seeking criticism gets in the way of both of these things and makes us change. But it’s exactly what we need to be successful in our careers.”
Skills for handling conflicts
When you work as part of a team, there will always be disagreements. “Conflict doesn’t have to be bad in and of itself,” said Martha Schmitz, a senior advisor at the job search site Mentat. “It gives people chances to think about new ideas, push themselves, and grow.
But it’s important that disagreements don’t get out of hand and keep causing anger, tension, or bitterness between coworkers. A strong team needs to be able to talk openly about disagreements, help colleagues have hard conversations, make sure everyone feels heard, and find a way to agree on something.
This skill can only be learned by working on it while on the job. Schmitz said, “This skill, which can be learned through practice rather than in a class, will definitely help you advance in your career.”
Creative ways to solve problems
Schmitz said, “Managers and teammates love people who can think of creative ways to solve problems as they come up.” ” Suggest new ways to make your work better or solve a problem that is holding things up.
Your ideas might not all be used, but the fact that you took the time to find solutions instead of just complaining about problems shows that you are a valuable member of the team.
Even if you don’t think of yourself as “creative,” you can do things to make yourself more creative.
Valerie Streif, who is also a senior adviser at Mentat, said, “One way is to write down all of your ideas, from the simplest to the most ridiculous.” These could be ideas that could never be done or simple changes that would solve the world’s problems.
“If you train your brain to think this way, it will be much easier for you to come up with creative and new ideas.” This will make you a much more valuable employee.
Flexibility
Rudy Racine, a certified career coach and the founder of HireLearners, said, “Flexibility is the ability to deal with change at work.” ” This is a very important skill because change is the one thing that every worker will experience at some point in their career. Professionals who don’t like change often get left behind or replaced by their employers.
Show that you can change while on the job. Racine said that being flexible at work is a very important skill that can only be learned by doing it. “The best ways to get better at this skill are to try things out and fail. Taking action lets you see how those actions turned out, and failure gives you the information you need for the future.
Self-Awareness
Make a list of the skills you have and look for jobs that use those skills. Be realistic instead of having high hopes.
Shlomo Z. Bregman, who started the Jewish Executive Learning Network, said, “It is important for a person to live in reality and know where he or she is truly talented and gifted and where their skill level is much more basic.”
“I’ve seen a lot of young professionals waste a lot of time and get frustrated for years because they didn’t know themselves.” If you can figure out where you have real talent and above-average skill, you can build a very successful career around that.
Sad to say, many people I meet miss out on their best chance to succeed at work because they only do what they love and not what they are good at. Self-awareness is an underrated and amazing way to move up in your career.”