Liz Wessel, a former Google employee and the CEO and cofounder of WayUp, recently shared some skills that she believed every young job seeker should have.
Here are those five skills, per Business Insider:
- Communication: Wessel believes that the ability to communicate a message clearly is something that all recruiters look for. Being able to individually express oneself, while targeting the communication towards a specific audience is an invaluable skill.
- Persuasion: Being able to sell someone on an idea is a vital skill for the workplace. You want to have them be able to not only see your perspective, but be thoroughly convinced as to why that’s the right perspective.
- Writing: Even if writing isn’t one of the primary parts of your job, being able to write proficiently is still an essential skill to have. Grammar and spelling mistakes within correspondence at work can detract from your perceived credibility. Taking on a journal, blog, or part-time writing gig can help you improve your writing.
- Decision-making: Strong decision-making skills can easily differentiate two potential job candidates. Being able to assess risks and opportunities for their pros and cons is essential. Business school usually teaches these skills, but they can still be learned otherwise.
- Social: It is important to have social skills, particularly because workplaces will want to know you can work well with others. They will also want to know that you can represent the company well to external parties. This is one of the ways in which play— going to parties and chatting it up with strangers— can pay off in the workplace.
