It’s the learners who question the status quo, shake things about and are innovators. And of course getting rewarded at their jobs or business is an inevitable side benefit as learning keeps you current and relevant. There are two parts to learning – staying current and learning a new skill. As promised, here is part II of our series on being job ready. A checklist to help you always be kickass and ready for almost any job that comes your way!
Keeping up with globalization–
Humanity is in a race to attain globalization. Oh sorry, or is it humanity is in a race to catch up with globalization? Whichever it is, we all know that globalization is the fact of the hour. Companies are increasingly preferring employees who have a better knowledge of international market affairs over employees who don’t. So much so, knowing a foreign language or two make you even more sought after. “Cross-Cultural Competencies”, to put it crisply is one of the top ten skills for the future.
An article regarding the same in Forbes Business magazine by Reuven Gorsht describes it this way – “Many of us work globally every day, interacting with a multitude of cultures, but those who know how to empathize and adjust their communications and style of collaboration, will always have an advantage when working across geographies and cultures.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? So, be aware of the world around you.
Team spirit –
Wherever you go, it is highly unlikely that you would be working in isolation. No matter what the job is, it will, at some point or the other require you to function and deliver in teams. Many of us might be excellent solo performers but failures at team performances. This happens mostly when we put the self ahead of the team. Learning how to cooperate, listen to and process commands when at the receiving end and blending in with the team make one an efficient and pleasant team member to work with. Imbibing this spirit sure will take you a long way not just in your professional life, but in your personal life as well.
Multitasking –
To be able to work at our own pace is a boon. This we realize when we are employed and expectations from us increase exponentially. While it is surely unhealthy to work under pressure, having the ability to multitask makes your job easy. Like wine, it is an acquired taste, well in this case an acquired skill. To be able to do two or more things at a time gives makes you more sought after as a potential candidate. How about brushing up on those multitasking skills? The memory of our moms in kitchen should be inspiration enough!
Management Skills –
Whoever said having management skills is a requirement only if you are applying to a managerial post couldn’t have been more wrong! While you may not get to do a whole lot of macro-managing, surely you will have to micro-manage your own work. Starting from what you decide to accomplish for the given day at work, to planning a team outing, it all needs you to be well versed with managerial techniques. Anybody who can ‘manage’ to get work done, is a ‘manager’ in his/her own right. How be you a manager without management skills? 😉
And a final bonus skill – Being positive ! No matter what you want to do, the key to great success is great performance, every single day. And that’s only possible if you make optimism, energy, and enthusiasm part of your daily experience.
What would you add to this checklist for being job ready ? We would love to hear back from you.
