Student Communicaty Special : Top Skill Spots for a Lucrative Profession

Top Skill Spots for a Lucrative Profession

Being in training management and having interacted  with academicians,  recruiters and functional heads across corporates over the years, I have learnt and analyzed with a deep thought that there are six major skills evaluated during a hiring process. 

From inducting an aspirant into a PG program or then into a selection process for career opportunity, the tragedy is that despite everything, most aspirants struggle with more than one of these skills at any point of time.

In this piece , I will spell out three of the key spots.

1. Communication : I am sure you've read my previous capsule on Top 10 Tools for High Impact Communication and by now you know that its one of the  most crucial skills needed for even the simplest of conversations. Coming to the selection process across levels - communication is the default key !

Trust me , I have seen a lot of senior people unable to complete the cycle of communication without even  realizing it. With entry level candidates, the challenge is slightly different.

Here is the thing.

Communication is not English. It is about being crisp and effective while we talk.

Talk in a way that your message, be it oral or written - is clearly understood by the receiver.

In order to achieve  this situation, however good you may be, some basic self help is a must.

1. Read Read Read.

Pick up a book of your choice - fiction or fiction or then something related to the work domain you want to opt for.

When you are reading, keep a dictionary, a paper and pen handy. Write the new words you come across , understand their meanings and the reference to context in which they are used & gradually adapt the words in your conversation.

Of course you may choose to seek professional help on the basis of your present state.

Pro - Tip : Reading improves vocabulary and ability to articulate which is very important to be able to communicate effectively.

Yesterday I was chatting to a friend's son who is in his twenties, discussing his plans ahead. He is in his final year graduation and was trying to connect the dots to taking up higher studies after final year.

His academics through schooling and graduation college wasn't all that great so I told him to buck up in the final at least because that may act as an obstacle at a  later date.

I told him to figure two things :

* The colleges and programs of his wish list

* Sources to connect reach out to the concerned people

2. Networking and Resourcefulness

This is a primary criteria for both, higher study and work life.

Network is Net Worth !

Majority of the best resources get available to you through your network, from classmates to mentors, colleagues to seniors and stakeholders at large.

Pro - Tip : Take small initiatives to meet new people. Whether you're studying, on a job hunt or at your workplace. From classrooms to conferences, seminars and events... unfold each opportunity.

A platform like LinkedIn helps big time in connecting with people across hierarchies, domains and locations.

To the extent that having applied for an opportunity & if you know someone in that company, he-she can brief you about crucial stuff pertaining to the opportunity.

3. Business Acumen or Industry Understanding:

In any selection process the evaluator or a recruiter is always keen to know if you as a candidate or an aspirant has some know - how of the chosen field or profession.

They will obviously not ask you questions like define money or the importance of PR.

What they would like to know is how aware you are about:

1. Business environments in general

2. A basic understanding of preferred domain

And Yes !

Your reasons to choose what you have chosen.

Pro - Tip : To cover on this point with efficiency, #Reading and #Networking is the spot you need to capitalize on.

4. Digital Literacy, Creative & MIS Tools : 

Super utilities like Sheets, Docs, Slides, Canva, Forms  and similar are utilities required across job functions and hence extremely important to be hands on with.

Pro- Tip: Take professional training on these online or offline, whatever works for you but do it for sure. And yes figure avenues to stay connected with what you have learnt

5. Aptitude & Attitude: When an organization looks at hiring a candidate, they want to first check on the reasoning abilities of the person.

*Are you a problem solver in approach?

*Can you think on your feet or not?  

*Are you a culture fit by mindset or not?

And most importantly, your domain knowledge and whether you are able to transfer that domain knowledge into essential skills needed for the work role.

Pro-Tip: Let's be realistic.

Each person is unique and has skills and abilities unique to you. At times these skill sets may be aligned by God's gift. But that's rare a case to well sync with.

Developing them is the need of the hour most of the times

Fact : Knowledge, Skills , Aptitude & Attitude hold equal weightage as employability quotients.

Opportunities for experiential impact also play big time in developing your profile

6. Network & Branding:  

Not every one of us are influencers, so you may feel why networking & personal branding are needed?

Well. The truth is social listening is as important for marketers as for talent hunting.

Organizations do consider the social media presence of  potential hires.

This is to get a feel of what kind of stuff the candidate talks or writes about, his or her opinions about various occurrences and what he or she is followed for.

Pro -Tip : Read up and start writing about topics related to your domain. That's how you will get known for a particular topic. The best suited platforms for this are ones like LinkedIn.

Finally your resume. We have discussed about it in detail in my previous blogs

Higher Education plays a huge role in nurturing your candidature with a holistic perspective. Of Course your complete commitment towards your own progress is non negotiable.

So prepare to Learn - Unlearn - Relearn because that is what Life defines itself as.