Every profession comes with its specific expertise. However, these core skills often don’t provide enough differentiation for you to get ahead. They provide your floor, but you need to develop other abilities that can define your ceiling.
This fact is well known. One study showed that more than nine in 10 employers (93%) called soft skills “critical” to their hiring decisions. Clearly, you will benefit by expanding your aptitude in these areas.
But that opens up a more specific question: what additional skills should you pursue? You have limited resources to invest in your professional development. To maximize your potential, you need to invest your time and energy into the right complementary abilities.
Here, we’ll help you answer that conundrum. Take a look at five skills that can help build your professional career:
Collaboration
Teamwork has never been more important. In recent years, remote work and flexible scheduling have made it more difficult for coworkers to interact effectively and build on each other’s ideas. This has put a significant premium on strong collaboration skills.
Strengthen your ability to get the most out of your teammates. At the same time, look for ways to contribute to broader organizational goals. These skills will make you a crucial addition to any employer.
Communication
Any job comes with its technical aspects. These are often hard to describe to outsiders. Nurturing the ability to discuss these subjects will help you push your career forward in whatever niche you choose.
Meanwhile, it’s important to remember that communication comes with an emotional component. Sometimes, you’ll have to ask for favors from other departments or deliver bad news to clients. The ability to do this in a professional, constructive manner will make you a crucial part of any team.
Tech-Savvy
Getting ahead means extracting the most value you can out of every moment. Any steps you can take to improve your productivity give you the opportunity to achieve your goals faster. To capture this added boost, you’ll need a firm understanding of technology.
Learn everything you can about the tech tools available in your industry. At the same time, make this education a career-long commitment. Staying on the cutting edge will let you maintain your value as technology advances.
Problem Solving
Things won’t always go smoothly. No matter how much you prepare or how skilled you become in your particular niche, you will run into unforeseen problems (the last several years have provided ample examples of this truth).
As such, you’ll thrive if you develop a strong ability to solve problems in innovative ways. This will keep you prepared for any set of circumstances, allowing you to drive your career forward whatever roadblocks get in your way.
Adaptability
Someone retiring today likely took their first job in the 1970s or 1980s. Think how much the working world has changed since then. Corporate cultures, technology, schedules, in-demand skills — almost every aspect has evolved dramatically since then.
You need to be ready for these changes. Sustaining a long, successful career means committing to ongoing professional development. Your career will span decades. As such, you should be prepared to evolve over that time.
Want to Find The Career Opportunity That Can Be Best for You?
Developing the right skills gets easier when you have a partner who can give you the guidance and support you need to push your career forward. A top recruiter, like Elby Professional Services, can provide the expert advice you need.
Contact Elby today to find the right professional opportunity that can help maximize your skillset.
