Top 10 Important Skills to Learn and apply to any Job
I have been contemplating on how to even begin to start this blog. Everyone has certain skillsets in the workforce that develop over time. We all have strengths and weaknesses. However, what are some skills that can build on a positive reputation, character, and overall become a great candidate for your current or next job?
This blog is a snippet of some of the most important skills that I repetitively apply to my daily life (especially my work life) which has resulted in great outcomes.
Discipline and Focus
There can a lot of distractions while at work. You may have co-workers who work their butt off, and others who slack off. It may bother you that “co-worker x” is doing this or that. You become frustrated and lose focus. I get it. I remember seeing other people get promoted for a position they clearly didn’t deserve, meanwhile, I felt that I had shown that I too can do the job. Your surroundings can really damper your mood and your work life. One of the ways in which I had been able to work at a job longer (and essentially learn more) is not to focus on what others are doing or saying. i eventually would just go to work, do my job, make my myself busy, and go home. I also stayed away from people who would talk “chisme” or in other words, talk about others and create work drama. All these external factors can cause you to shift your focus and spend time where it’s not needed. Practice a routine while at work, try and cancel out the noise so that you can be more productive.
Building Relationships
My background is in Marketing which I believe I have shared before. One of the key things in marketing to is build relationships. This is hard! It requires going out to networking events, cookie drops (-where you randomly visit the person you want to build a connection with and leave them a small gift), introductory emails (- sending a cold email introducing yourself to that new person), offering to take them out to lunch or coffee, and referring their services to others where there is an opportunity. I know not everyone reading this is a marketer, but perhaps checking-in with those who work within your industry, will be the best way to build relationships. Checking-in, meaning to take the time to say hi and see how they are. Building relationships within your work/industry is like making friends at a professional level (you don’t want to get too close but I’ll leave that to your discretion). LinkedIn is a great tool to find people within your industry. If you really want to build relationships, drop them a line time to time to say hi, wish them a happy holiday, or the like. This is great practice that you can take with you to any job.
Being Personable
For the blog, I just ordered my thank you post cards yesterday, in which I will be sending to everyone I worked with this year (brands and supportive people of the blog). Sending hand written thank you cards, is a skill that I learned at my last job and it goes a long way! Why? Because not a lot of people take the time out to hand write you a letter and make it personable. When an opporutnity presents itself, be personable, send a card, or make a phone call.
Communication
Not one of us is "thee perfect communicator”. For some of us, this is a flaw. I personally try to communicate the best that I can by outlining to others my goals and reasons. I always like to come up with a plan, and sometimes the best way to communicate with someone, is to write it down. Going to a meeting, then sending the notes and tasks to “x” person, is a great way to communicate if you are forgetful. Keep your communication with others clear, concise, and simple. Avoid putting deadlines if you don’t have to because sometimes things happen along the way and it looks worse when it didn’t meet the “deadline”. If you do have to set a deadline, try to aim for an approximate.
Setting Goals
I set goals all the time! Even with my day-to-day tasks, I write down by what day I want to accomplish by. practicing settings goals, whether that mean to finish a task by a certain day or to to complete an entire project by the end of the year….set GOALS. It helps with keep you focused and a great reminder of what you need to get done. I write down all my goals by week in my planner. If you need to, get a planner or even a notebook will help. Along with goal setting, list what is Urgent, can get done in the next few days, and what can wait. We all have tasks that need to get done asap, others that we can get done in a few days and not get in trouble, and other projects in which we can take our time. These two skills are what help me write down in my planner what tasks I want to get done and by when.
Customer Service
Every time I would have my evaluation at any job, this was a skill I was always told was my strength. Let me tell you though, having good customer service goes a long way because customers keep coming back, people want to refer you to others, or want to visit with you. Offering good customer service requires listening, problem solving, and getting the person connected to the right resources. I apply these to my work today and is part of the reason why i’ve been able to find clients to work with.
Following Through
This one is a BIG ONE! Realize, there are not a lot of people that can do this! Following through on your word, tasks, sending out that email or making that phone call is SO important. Sometimes, it can make or break you. It either puts you in the category of being a reliable person or not. Have I made mistakes with not following through? Yes. But I try hard not to. When I have not followed through, I try to communicate with the person before or giving an explanation. You only owe it to them to do so. Practice following through with answering every email, scheduling a call to follow through with talking to the person, making notes for yourself of what you spoke about last with “x” person. Whatever you do, try and stay true to what you said you were going to do.
Reliable and Trustworthy
Providing good customer service, and following through are two skills that will open the doors to become a reliable and trustworthy person. You become that person when, you say you are going to do something, YOU DO IT.
Taking the Lead
When you have an opportunity to take the lead on a project, give it a try. Especially if you want to advance later in your career. When I used to work in senior living as a Marketing Director, whoa was that a challenge. I questioned myself sometimes if I could even do the job
Over Deliver
When you are given projects, it’s ok to over deliver (just a tad). This is not to get confused with being an over achiever. Providing just a “bit” more than what you were assigned to do, makes you a more valuable employee and shows your a hard worker. Today, as I work with brands, I like to do an extra thing or to. Whether that be an extra story post, or shout out on Facebook… it’s my small way to show that I appreciate their partnership.
What other skills can we add to this Core Skillset list? Let me know in the comment what you do at work to get ahead!