Every employee, at some point in their career, seeks professional growth. However, discovering and unlocking potential may become a challenge for some, especially those unaware of their skills and eventually end up in the bubble of career stagnation. For professional growth, continual learning and development are crucial. Whether as an employee or candidate pursuing jobs, one should explore and enrich their resumes with skills that can help them professionally. It is not necessary that these skills have to be academic or profession-related. HRs inspect resumes for soft skills that may not be mentioned in the job description but are indispensable for their hiring roles.
Sounds challenging? It is for many. Some employees may require guidance to discover and unlock their true potential for professional growth. For example, leadership or time management skills are not inborn but acquired through experiences and learning. This only means that one needs to persistently invest their time and focus on discovering and learning to open doors to new opportunities. Also, with umpteen reskilling and upskilling programs initiated during the pandemic, learning new skills is less complicated today. However, we took the liberty to collate a list of skills that can be of great help for those who are seeking professional growth in their career.
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Here are six skills that are crucial for professional growth:
Communication: One of the most important skills today is communication which includes listening, speaking, and writing. HR will scrutinise an individual’s communication skills from the first point of contact, whether through email, call, or in-person conversation. An individual with impeccable conversational skills will be able to convey thoughts and opinions confidently and understand others and, more importantly, the clients better. Verbal and writing skills are also crucial, as email is one of the essential forms of communication today. After all, well-written emails always leave a positive impression. As an employee or candidate seeking professional growth, one should continue honing their communication skills to leave a good impression on their team leaders or recruiters.
Social or interpersonal skills: Socialising plays a crucial role in getting the work done in the corporate world. Employees with good interpersonal skills are deemed an excellent advantage for the team by the recruiters. They leave a positive impression in social situations and build good relationships with their team peers, clients, vendors, and other people they may encounter at work, which is a massive plus for the employers. And on the personal front, good socialising skills aid in networking and help one grow professionally.
Problem-solving: Yet another distinguished skill that sets one employee apart from another in the team is the ability to identify and solve problems. Since problems don’t knock on doors before showing up, employers always look out for critical and rational thinkers who can handle emergency and challenging situations. Critical thinking and problem-solving are essential skills that mirror an individual’s ability to understand conditions and to solve problems without dwindling under situational pressure.
Leadership: Leadership is often misinterpreted as an inborn flair when it can be acquired through experiences and learnings. Anyone can be a leader today if they develop a knack for it. An influential role in the workplace, leadership, undoubtedly comes with great responsibility. Besides managing, monitoring, motivating, and guiding the team, a leader is also responsible for understanding that every employee is unique and has their way of getting work done. Especially with the newer generation more comfortable working in silos, employers are on the hunt for employees with leadership and managerial skills to lead these minds without impeding their thoughts and judgements.
Public speaking: Like leadership, public speaking is a skill that can be both inborn or acquired. Every candidate or employee should include public speaking as a part of their professional growth journey if they are seeking to build a strong and confident brand value for themselves. Employers prefer professionals who can confidently represent their brand during presentations and meetings with strong and effective communication skills. Irrespective of this, there will be times when an employee will have to communicate thoughts and opinions, be it during team meetings, brainstorming sessions, or more, thus making public speaking a crucial skill to hone in these times.
Work ethics: How determined, disciplined, responsible, and committed an employee is to the task assigned speaks a lot about that individual’s work ethic. It’s not a skill that a recruiter will mention in the job description but is one of the most crucial ones that they’ll look out for. It’s only fair that an employer would want to hire or retain an employee with a good work ethic. Something as basic as passion, commitment, and determination to get the work done can make an individual a strong candidate for a company.
Professional growth is incumbent if employees want to scale new heights in their careers. The above listed are some crucial skills that an individual must strive to work on to make a powerful impact professionally or personally. But before honing these skills, it’s also imperative to prime oneself for these new challenges, experiences and learnings. It’s necessary to find the determination, broaden one’s perspective, focus on what to learn and unlearn, and give oneself time to adapt and implement.
Set goals for professional growth. Take it one at a time. Speak to your HRs about professional growth if you are unsure about your potential. Enrol in upskilling and reskilling programs. Overcome your fear of the upcoming challenges and turn your failure at these lessons into learning. Be proactive in listening, reading, writing, or networking. It will help you understand how one can put these skills to work in the business world. Take feedback, get a mentor or reach out to individuals who can help you understand and hone these skills. More importantly, focus on self-care, meditate, and develop the will to learn something new daily. You can only grow professionally when you are willing to grow personally.
Also, learning new skills is not a one-time thing but a continual process. So choose your skills wisely depending on the job you are looking for or the professional growth you want to seek to achieve your career goals in the future.
References:
- Top 20 skills you need to develop your career | MyStarJob.com | Eva Christodoulou | Saturday June 22, 2013
- 9 Ways To Improve Your Personal Development Skills | Indeed | December 9, 2021
- Top Skills Professionals Need for Workplace Success | thebalancecareers.com | Alison Doyle | April 1, 2022
- Six skills for personal and professional growth | Glassdoor | May 4, 2022
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