When they ask about your analytical skills, but never ask about your shisha preparation skills, that’s when you know that you might need to re-evaluate what you claim to be competent at. Do you have good written and verbal communication skills? Do you know how to use SPSS? How organized and detail oriented are you?
You are probably talented at a lot of things. You might feel that your skills are underrated and unappreciated, but you have to know that employers already have set skill requirements for each and every job role they have. And some skills just don’t cut it. What skills can you bring to the table to create value for employers? What skills are generally embraced and appreciated by most employers?
More than six in ten employers and five in ten job seekers believe there is a skills gap in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to the Bayt.com Middle East Skills Report 2017. This study illustrates how important it is for jobseekers in the MENA region to enhance their skills to meet the requirements of today’s jobs. The more you develop your skills the more you stand out.
Now, there are various types of skills that you should certainly consider building and developing in order for you to step-up your game. It is also pivotal that you know how to distinguish between the different types of skills, in order to know when to include them in your job applications and which to demonstrate to employers. We at Bayt.com are always looking out for all you jobseekers out there. So, we’ve written this blog post to help shed light on the right types of skills that you should focus on to impress employers.
Transferable skills:
Now, obviously different jobs have their own set skill requirements according to the role, industry and even company. However, there are several skills that are generally appreciated and embraced by most employers across all industries.
What I mean by transferable skills is the type of abilities that are cross-functional in nature and can be developed over time through various ways ranging from previous work experiences to your hobbies.
Now, on to the skills that employers would love you for having:
This one is obvious, you can’t expect to get a job without knowing how to communicate effectively, both in written form and verbally. It’s impossible. It is especially important to have for fresh graduate looking to find their first job, as according to the 2017 Bayt.com Infographic: Finding Your First Job in the Middle East and North Africa, good communication skills in Arabic and English at 59% emerge as the top skill that employers look for in a candidate.
You’ll need to be able to communicate verbally using language that is accurate, straight to the point, and appropriate for each situation. You have to keep it professional, there’s no need to blab. If you’re a jobseeker, you can demonstrate this skills during the interview process, whether by telephone, video or in person.
And remember, your body not only walks the walk, but talks the talk as well. Body language and facial expressions can certainly get a message across that others can pick and might misinterpret. So, you’ll need to keep them in check and demonstrate that you’re confident, respectful and friendly. A smile goes a long way. While a slouch in your chair while in an interview can be the rejection cause.
Now, in regards to written communication skills, you can take one of many online learning courses provided by Bayt.com. These courses can heavily aid you in developing your written skills such as our Business Writing Certification as well as our Business Communication Skills course, among many other courses that you can take advantage of.
If you’re a jobseeker, just rest assured that employers will in one way or another ask you about your team spirit and your capability and willingness to work as part of a team. And if you’re already employed, I’m sure that you are obliged to constantly participate in team work, even with difficult coworkers with whom you have little in common.
According to another research report, the Bayt.com Middle East Skills Report 2017, teamwork emerged as one of the most sought after skills overall. This makes teamwork a skill that you should definitely not underestimate, as it can portray you as an able and flexible individual who is also an efficient worker, listener and communicator. You can enhance and demonstrate teamwork skills by engaging in social events, joining a sports team, which employers love seeing, as well as joining societies and clubs, and even volunteering.
Okay, now is the time to put your class A skills to use. Many jobs out there will require research and data analysis in some shape or form, whether through finding, collecting and comparing data from various sources or recognizing trends, cause and effect associations, and correlations.
Thankfully, we at Bayt.com take your development extremely seriously, and provide jobseekers with a wide variety of online courses that they can take to grow and develop their skills, including research and data analysis. Click here to find the right course for you.
Employer: “Hey Ahmad, write this down. Okay, so I’m going to need you finish that huge report that I told you about the other day, remember that really long one that usually needs two weeks to finish but I only gave you two days to get done, yeah that one, I want it on my desk by the end of the day. I also want you to process and prepare our financial and business forms, and yes, all of them. And I also expect you to finish all of your daily tasks on time like processing our tax payments, you thought I forgot about them, didn’t you? And please, let’s pick up the pace.”
Ahmad: *under his breath* “Habibi, lets pick up the pay first. How about that?”
Poor Ahmad, right? Well, his situation isn’t that far from the truth in most cases. Employers more often than not expect their employees to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously by organizing and managing their time accordingly, and ultimately to meet deadlines.
Resilience and personal motivation are arguably the most important skills you can have, because we all go through stressful times at work, it’s inevitable. But it’s your inner strength, relentlessness and motivation for personal development that can give you that extra thrust to pull through.
However, you must be able to recognize the difference between a heavy work load and a bad boss who is just exploiting you. You can learn how to avoid such bosses by reading through our informative How to Avoid a Potential Bad Boss blog post.
Also, having some sort of commercial awareness of the business you’re in or applying to is definitely something that employers would love. As you can demonstrate that you have an understanding of their business, industry and competitors, as well as showing your general interest and motivation in the job.
Finally, if you try hard enough to build and develop these kinds of transferable skills, you will get that job that you always wanted, you will consolidate your position at the company, and you will progress in your career. If you effectively demonstrate these skills at the workplace and emphasize on using them in your daily tasks, you will leverage yourself from others. These skills will make you if you have them and break you if you don’t.
Focus on developing yourself. And remember, the grind doesn’t stop. It never does.
Which transferable skill do you believe to be the most important?
