Large companies spend thousands to millions of dollars to recruit and train new employees. But why do they do this at a time when college enrolment rates at an all-time high. Isn’t higher level education supposed to prepare the student for the workforce?

Unfortunately, college doesn’t really teach you all the skills required for the employment sector. Yes, you may have the knowledge of how things work and how they should be done, but do you know how to properly apply that education? To help you, below is a list of skills that you should familiarize yourself with if you want to be job market ready.

1. Entrepreneurship

An entrepreneur is someone that turns an idea into a business. They gather the necessary resources and through innovation manage to make their business stand out and survive for many years to come. In the modern workforce, employers are giving employees more responsibilities as a way to boost their morale and encourage productivity. You have to know something about entrepreneurship in order for you to handle such responsibility.

2. Coping with Poor Results

As you prepare for the job market, you have to be ready for failure. You are not always going to succeed at most of the things that you do. You may not do the job as well as your boss thought you’d do it. They will get angry, and they might scold or yell at you. You should control your emotions by not allowing failure to let you down. Teach yourself to persevere and learn from your mistakes.

3. Adaptability and Flexibility

How quick are you in responding to emergency situations? We live in a world that moves so fast. What is relevant today may be old news tomorrow. This is why employers look for people that can keep up with the rapid change. You should be able to flexible to changes and adapt to new technologies easily. Be ready to take typing lessons for beginners if that can help you keep up with the changes.

4. Digital Skills

Take time to do some research on one of the hottest skills right now? You will discover that most businesses are looking for digital marketing experts. There is also a lot of buzz surrounding artificial intelligence and machine learning. This means that anyone with knowledge of digital marketing or machine learning has a high likelihood of finding a job. Just make sure that you create a portfolio of past digital projects to prove that you actually have the skills.

5. Communication Skills

You must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently through emails and other formal digital platforms. You should also know how you can engage with colleagues and customers. You should know about nonverbal cues and body language during face-to-face conversations. Learn to gain the interest of whoever you are communicating with.

6. Global Citizenship

If you are on social media, you know that the internet has enabled the interaction of people from various backgrounds and countries. That means that you should be able to communicate and associate with people from diverse countries. Familiarize yourself with what’s accepted in some cultures and what isn’t. This way, you avoid offending people unknowingly.

7. Know Yourself

Nowadays, employers look for people with diverse skills and talents. This is because they expect employees from different departments to use their diverse skills to come up with innovative solutions for the business. You may have a business degree, but so do other applicants. What can you offer to the business that’s so unique? When you know yourself, you are well aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

8. Analytical Skills

Nowadays, companies are collecting large amounts of data in a bid to understand the customer and serve them better. In fact, most firms practice data democratization because they want the department to act on information fast. This means that you need to have basic data analysis skills so that you can make sense of whatever data the company collects.

Conclusion

With so much information available online, employers expect their workers to have more than one skill. The above are some of the skills these employers look for. Therefore, look into how you can acquire most of these skills if you don’t already have them.