HOW TO WIN WITH SKILLS

by Angela deFreitas
PART I
When companies interview prospective employees they are looking for the candidate with the most compatible skills and competencies which match the needs of their company and the specific position to be filled. The person with the right match of skills and personal qualities will stand out from the rest based on expertise, experience and the possibility that their personality will fit in with the company.

All workers in today’s world must develop what are known as marketable, transferable and motivated skills if they are to be successful on their chosen career path. Such skills will drive success as they are the skills which will ensure that employers are interested in hiring you.

As you no doubt can deduce from the above, skills are the common denominator amongst THE most successful workers anywhere in the world and in all sectors across the entire spectrum. According to well-known career development expert, Dr. Lawrence Jones, in his book, Job Skills For The 21st Century, it’s as simple as this: “Skills, you win; no skills, you lose…….Your hope is that you have the skills an employer wants and that the employer will buy your skills, that is hire you….. …Your skills are marketable when employers will pay you to perform them.”

So what are skills? Why are they so important? Who would resist the need to develop themselves in as many and in as wide a range of skill areas as possible? Or is this concept just another of the buzz words of the 21st century? Far from it.

The 21st century workplace is increasingly a modern environment requiring a different approach to work and mind-set from workers and a clear recognition of the Foundation Skills. The Foundation Skills are the 17 essential areas in which all workers must reach a certain standard if they are to be successful in such an environment. These areas are reading, writing, mathematics, speaking, listening, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, visualisation, social, negotiation, leadership, teamwork, cultural diversity, self-esteem, self-management and responsibility.
Angela deFreitas is General Manager of CHOICES Career Advice, publishers of The Career Key (Caribbean Edition), CHOICES Career & Education Magazine. The company gives information and advice on a broad range of career-related matters including resume writing. She can be contacted at info@choicesonlinejm.com and www.choicesonlinejm.com.