10 Crucial Skills to get Your Dream Job

Candidates need to be agile to understand the situation, be receptive to unlearn and learn and adapt accordingly, advises Sanjeev Verma, vice president-HR, STT Global Data Centre India.

In today's rapidly growing digital landscape, businesses have doubled their efforts to employ the right candidates, who would contribute to increase the productivity of the organisation in the long run.

Choosing smart, capable and skilled talent by offering the appropriate compensation, ensuring a good work environment and also policies and company culture to allow for long term retention.

The past decade has witnessed an increase in the war for talent, where hiring decision has now become a two-way process.

Beyond organisations selecting the candidates, this kind of a process allows for the candidates to have the option of making an informed decision that suits their needs and style the most.

Today, companies are putting in huge efforts in order to establish itself as a credible brand, with a positive and growth oriented the work culture and environment.

Employers identify the basic requirements for the job and match it with the applicants' profile, beyond the cultural fitment to the role and the organisation at large.

Skills and domain knowledge can be built over a period; however, it is the candidates' personality and behavioural traits that will play a significant role in foreseeing whether or not the candidate would be fit for the job.

Hence, there has been a paradigm shift in the way hiring processes take place.

The process flow has evolved and become more comprehensive now, capturing both the individual's attitude towards job functions and the domain specific skill-set with heavier focus on the behavioural and attitudinal aspects and other personal traits.

Here's a list of things every job seeker should keep in mind while applying:

1. Chart out a thorough intelligence structure of the organisation where you plan to apply

Examine the reputation of the company through online and offline modes, explore its credibility through news articles, and its work culture through Web sites like Glassdoor, Great Place to Work etc.

While this is a difficult point to ensure, especially in terms of start-ups some amount of discussion and deliberation is important.

2. Domain master

In today's digital landscape, jobs have become highly specialised and therefore businesses prefer hiring industry-specific talent.

Domain skills assessments help HR recruiters determine if the job applicants have the functional knowledge and ability to perform specialised jobs.

Today, several standardised tools are deployed to measure a candidates domain skills whether technical or behavioural.

3. Cognitive skills

Skills such as logical, visual, and critical reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, perception, etc., are necessary components when picking a candidate.

Since an individual's cognitive skills influences their performance and productivity at work, these skills play a vital role in an employee's career success.

4. Networking

Networking is crucial to maintain professional and social contacts once you get your dream job.

The ability to network and manage your internal as well as your external stakeholders is a critical skill. It also helps to develop professional relationships in the long run and cater to your social needs along with recognition.

5. Interpersonal competencies

Job seekers' personal qualities such as creativity, impact, innovation, analytical thinking, decision-making, conflict management, negotiating, resource management skills, emotional intelligence, etc. are also reviewed and judged during the selection process.

Communication skills, networking skills, and partnering skills add to your competencies and increase your chances of being hired.

6. Innovation and motivation

Organisations are open to new ideas and welcome technological advancements to ensure that employees get the best opportunities to learn and explore.

Whether you'll be required to work from home or office, innovative problem solving skills, along with self motivation to deliver as a lone worker and the ability to manage one's own calendar to become effective will be considered as a valuable skill.

7. Result orientated approach

With the organisational structures becoming more complex, companies prefer employees who deliver results, have a result oriented approach in their work and bring solutions to the challenges faced by the organisation.

Being a team player and working in collaboration adds to the much needed 'achievement quotient'.

8. Agility and resourcefulness

These are crucial skills that employers look for in every prospective candidate, especially in a post pandemic scenario.

Businesses are fast changing with newer international policies, environmental and sustainability issues adding up, wherein candidates need to be agile to understand the situation, be receptive to unlearn and learn and adapt accordingly.

9. Emotional Quotient 

Job seekers need to develop higher levels of EQ during the transition from being student to a professional.

Those who transition well tend to be more successful in their professional careers and grow as a leader.

Compassion and sensitivity are increasingly becoming skills of the future and to lead and nurture teams through unprecedented times, they remain indispensable.

10. Business acumen 

The ability to understand and leverage an organisation's business model, a market focused approach to the business and having a blanket, broad view understanding enables the new employee to work cohesively and understand the inter dependence in a better manner.

While these are some of the broad areas to look at, in order to succeed at one’s workplace and adapt to the high pressures of work environment and deadlines and adhere to the needs of a dynamic world.

Overall, I believe that it merits to have clear short term goals and a comprehensive long term understanding of the role a candidate would like to take up and accordingly look for organisations that fit their bill right.

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