Did you know that as a student or recent graduate, it could take anywhere between three to 18 months to secure a job?
So, if you’re hoping to land a job this year, it’s important that you do all you can to boost your chances of landing a job as quickly as possible.
One of the best ways to do this is to showcase your key skills to employers - especially your soft skills.
To help you do this, we’ve pulled together a list of five soft skills that every employer loves to see, so you can make sure you highlight these on your CV and throughout the recruitment process.
1. Communication
Communication skills are critical across a range of industries for so many reasons, not least of all because this incorporates a variety of verbal, written and listening skills.
Some of the top communication skills you’ll want to demonstrate to employers include speaking coherently, active listening and writing clearly and succinctly.
You could highlight these skills on your CV, particularly in your education section; for example, ‘I gave a presentation on technology to a group of 40 of my peers’.
Alternatively, show how you’ve used them in past roles such as, ‘I worked closely with customers on a daily basis to ensure all their needs were being met’.
2. Teamwork
Although it can seem a little cliche, employers want to know that you’re going to be able to work well with your colleagues and contribute positively towards the overall school or college culture.
That being said, you should try to avoid cliche phrases on your CV like ‘I’m a team player’ and instead use facts and figures to show how you’ve worked well as part of a team in the past.
This could be through extra-curricular like team sports, working on projects with fellow students during your studies or showcasing how you’ve supported colleagues in past roles.
3. Adaptability
If the recent pandemic taught us anything, it’s that being able to adapt quickly is important, particularly in the world of work.
Plus, in today’s fast-paced world of technology and innovation, it’s vital that you’re able to adapt and evolve without falling behind. Some of the ways you can showcase your adaptability to the recruiter are by highlighting your continued learning, decision-making, organisation and problem-solving.
You could use facts and figures on your CV to show how you’ve put these skills to good use and adapted quickly in past situations, be this your time in education, volunteer work or a past role.
4. Problem-Solving
As well as helping to show that you can adapt, problem-solving is a very sought-after skill on its own, as it proves to employers that you can use analytical and creative thinking to find the best possible solution.
In every workplace, problems occur, and work can be unpredictable, so you need to demonstrate how you’re able to tackle problems and find intuitive solutions. This might include using power words like negotiated, analysed and persuaded on your CV.
For example, ‘during my time volunteering at Oxfam I persuaded local businesses to donate 15 prizes for a charity raffle after the team were struggling to come up with a fundraising idea’.
5. Creativity
Finally, we have creativity. Although this can be a very broad term and will mean different things depending on each industry, this is often considered to be one of the most important soft skills of the modern age.
Therefore, it is so important to demonstrate to employers you can be creative and innovative.
Phrases like designed/redesigned, inspired, imagined and innovated are all excellent ways to show off these skills. You might also wish to create a portfolio of your past work if this will help to show off your skills and creativity.
Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of StandOut CV, a leading UK careers advice website. He is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to publications like Business Insider, The Guardian, and The Independent.
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About the author
Andrew Fennell
Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of StandOut CV, a leading UK careers advice website. He is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to publications like Business Insider, The Guardian, and The Independent.
