Employability isn’t just about knowing how to do a job well. In today’s competitive marketplace, prospective employees need a host of skills and experience to stand out from the crowd.
In this article, we’ll highlight the top five employability skills for 2022, so you’ll know exactly what to focus on to get job ready.
Table of Contents
1. Adaptability
Today’s employees need to be ready and willing to adapt to changes as they come—and in the modern world, they come fast.
Adaptability is a skill that can be learnt and improved through practice. As students and prospective employees are exposed to more challenging and unfamiliar outcomes, their ability to adapt and thrive will grow over time.
For example, employees might need to adapt to:
- Emerging technologies,
- Changing workplace practices,
- Staff changes,
- Promotions or new responsibilities,
- Changing customer expectations,
- Much more.
2. Strategic Thinking & Planning
Successful people are those who can think strategically and plan ahead. These employees can intelligently anticipate the future, be flexible, and take calculated risks.
If you’re a new job applicant, employers will want to know you’re capable of understanding how decisions can affect the future, not only the present moment. You’ll want to know how to formulate and implement effective plans that consider your current situation, future goals, and the constraints of reality.
Strategic thinkers understand how decisions affect other people and organisations. They also have strong analytical skills, allowing them to make sense of complex information—an ability any employer will look positively upon.
3. Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of managing, preventing, and resolving disagreements among people. It’s an essential skill for maintaining amicable relationships with coworkers, employers, customers, and company stakeholders.
Employers seek out applicants with strong conflict resolution skills—those who can quickly and effectively dissolve a situation before it becomes a significant problem.
4. Active Learning Skills & Strategies
Learning doesn’t end when you graduate from university and enter the workplace. Successful employees are ready to upskill and broaden their horizons as they proceed through their careers—and active learning skills are the best way to achieve this.
Active learning skills are especially crucial for employability. Employers want to know you can learn on your own and adapt to new situations on the fly, actively employing the new skills you’ve developed.
Some common active learning strategies include:
- Collaborating with teams,
- Asking questions,
- Researching a topic you’d like to learn more about,
- Taking initiative offering innovative solutions or assisting with extra tasks.
5. Technology Use, Control & Monitoring
Today’s employers are looking for applicants who can use technology and monitor and control it. That is, it’s best to be able to understand (to some degree) the inner workings of any software you use, how to make the most of it, and how to resolve common problems.
Some technology skills employers are looking for in 2022 include:
- Social media management,
- Internet research skills,
- Digital marketing,
- Search engine optimisation and management,
- Digital security.
Conclusion
The modern world is ever-changing—and so are the skills necessary for securing employment. Focusing on building the abilities listed above is the best way to get a leg-up in your chosen industry.
