The 7 Assets Every Job Seeker Should Have

Man pointing at laptop in public area

When you look at a job board or work description, there are always hard skills listed. Hard skills are the skills you’ve learned to do in your chosen career or position. They include being able to type, run a jackhammer, or provide customer service.

However, soft skills are usually what promotes a person to get and keep a job. Building these soft skills is a huge benefit to any job seeker. These are transferable skills, meaning regardless of the occupation or industry you are in, you will be an asset if you can demonstrate these top soft skills.

If you’ve ever lost a job or known someone who has, it likely has to do with failing at one of these seven skills:

Dependability

Dependability refers to the ability to be counted on. It is showing up – whether for your scheduled shift or for a staff meeting. It means being reliable and trusted to complete a task or project you have been given or have taken leadership of. Dependability can be tied to time management as well.

Flexibility

Being flexible means you can adjust to changes. This includes the willingness to see things differently and tackle challenges. In business, changes happen all the time. Sometimes they impact only one person, but other times they can influence the entire company. Being able to adapt when an extra hand is needed or when a transition happens is a great soft skill.

Teamwork

Working with others, especially being able to respect others’ different opinions, is an important component of teamwork. Teamwork can also include stepping up to help with something that isn’t necessarily in your job description or being cooperative when a change is happening.

Teamwork can also be tied to flexibility and empathy.

Empathy

Empathy is a trait demonstrated by seeing another person’s point of view and understanding it to the best of your ability. An example of empathy is seeing a video of someone riding a skateboard and falling off and getting hurt. If you’re affected because you can remember a time when you’ve hurt yourself, this is empathy.

Empathy is shown in the workplace when you listen to a customer’s complaint and apologize for their frustration. It is shown when a coworker is having a bad day, and you offer support.

Patience

Patience is another lifelong soft skill that can be developed, although some seem to have more of it than others. Whether we are born with a predisposition to be patient or not, we can develop it by keeping calm during times we need to wait.

It can also come into play when dealing with others who aren’t learning as fast as we’d like, upset customers, or vendor delays. Patience is invaluable in the workplace.

Time Management Skills

Running late is a chronic problem for many people. Learning how to overcome this is part of time management. Setting clocks fast, leaving earlier, and being realistic with time can help. But time management also includes working at the pace needed to complete a project on time.

There are many tools for organizing your time that can help develop better time management skills, including phone apps and online calendars.

Interpersonal Skills

All the above soft skills fall under the broader umbrella of interpersonal skills and can be used in any organization and at any level of employment. They can all be developed with time, learning, and practice. If you are struggling with any of them, try searching for more information and practices to strengthen them.

Interpersonal skills are a lifelong practice of communication and understanding yourself and others. They aren’t shown on a resume, but you may be asked to give examples of them in your interview – so take some time to consider where you stand with each and make adjustments if needed.

Looking for your next career opportunity? Let Colorado Network Staffing (CNS) help you find your next position. Our clients hire us to find them their best and brightest team – are you one of them?  Contact us at 303-430-1441, and discover why our clients come to us to fill their staffing needs and get started in your new career faster.

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