{"id":26252,"date":"2019-03-12T13:48:31","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T11:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/?p=26252"},"modified":"2019-06-28T11:55:15","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T09:55:15","slug":"skills-need-land-dream-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/skills-need-land-dream-job\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 5 Skills You Need to Land Your Dream Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

During EU Business School<\/a>\u2019s Annual Career Fair, we spoke to some of the new generation of business leaders, recruiters and hiring managers about the current trends in talent acquisition to find out which are the top 5 skills that are most sought-after by employers. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of our key learnings was that, nowadays, having the capability to do a specific job is not enough: skills that were once considered \u2018nice-to-haves\u2019 now make the difference between getting that dream job or not.<\/p>\n

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What Do Companies Want? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

So, what do companies want today? Well, it\u2019s not what you might expect. Yes, the knowledge acquired from a good education is important, but it\u2019s not enough without the soft skills \u2013 such as flexibility, communication skills and cultural awareness \u2013 that encourage the creativity and adaptability essential in today\u2019s globalized workplace.<\/p>\n

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1. Soft Skills and Communication Abilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One trend in recruitment and talent acquisition stood out above the rest: the shift from an exclusive focus on hard skills to a more nuanced demand for soft skills that complement the business competencies acquired through education.<\/p>\n

The business leaders and recruiters in attendance at our Annual Career Fair explained that, while a business education demonstrates a candidate\u2019s competence and capacity for the job, employers are looking for more. They place increasing emphasis on the soft skills and life experiences that complement a potential employee\u2019s education and tangible skills.<\/p>\n

These include having the social skills to be able to integrate smoothly into a company\u2019s existing team, and the global knowledge and cultural understanding to relate to clients from around the world. Being people-oriented, as well as service-oriented, is key in the fast-moving business world of today.<\/p>\n

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2. Flexibility: Responding to Change <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Companies are looking for employee flexibility as a response to the constantly evolving and increasingly globalized business world. New roles and tasks are developing rapidly, and a candidate should have the ability to take on new roles and adapt effortlessly to changing circumstances and needs. Jobs are no longer rigidly defined; roles are fluid in order to encourage people to contribute to a broader team dynamic.<\/p>\n

Flexible prospective employees who can take on more responsibilities and do a wide variety of tasks have more to offer an employer than those who can only do one or two. These are the candidates who will get the job.<\/p>\n

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3. A New Way of Thinking: Forget About the Box<\/strong><\/h2>\n

EU Alumna and Agile coach at King\u2019s Candy Crush studios, Shirin Elhouri, advises students considering entering her profession that they should not let their thinking be constrained. It\u2019s not enough just to \u2018think outside the box\u2019 but we should forget about the box completely. Creativity, critical thinking and sense-making are all highly prized soft skills in today\u2019s business environment.<\/p>\n

Computational thinking has been replaced by novel and adaptive thinking. Companies want people to think autonomously and to come up with new and innovative ways of doing things. According to Shirin, independent thinking also ensures that a team can function without relying on one individual which increases productivity and innovation to ultimately increase revenue.<\/p>\n

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4. Social and Emotional Intelligence <\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to EU Alumnus and founder of MBJ London, Julian Baladurage, being knowledgeable about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other new technologies are valuable skills. However, he believes that social intelligence and cross-cultural competence are the most vital skills to have, because most businesses function on a global scale.<\/p>\n

Being able to communicate effectively and apply cultural understanding are invaluable skills. They are paramount when coordinating with others in a team dynamic where there are sure to be people from all over the world working together. As businesses become increasingly globalized, it is inevitable that you will be working alongside people who have vastly different cultural backgrounds, ways of communicating and language skills.<\/p>\n

Having developed yourself by traveling, studying abroad and cultural or language exchanges is highly favorable and shows employers that you possess the skills to effectively communicate with a diverse set of people.<\/p>\n

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5. Know the Tech: Artificial Intelligence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Technology is changing business dramatically. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are already being used to do repetitive and complex tasks that require, for example, computing and calculation skills.<\/p>\n

With AI being introduced in the workplace, skills related to programming, big data and data analysis have also seen an increase in desirability. EU Alumnus and Chief Operating Officer of Manchester City F.C., Omar Berrada encouraged students to learn the workings of big data as it is used in every sector, from managing sports teams to the finance industry \u2013 the ability to analyse and apply data is in high demand. Having a strong base of knowledge, competence to work with the latest technology will always be highly valued by employers. This is where learnability comes into play. People need to continue updating and developing their skills as the business environment changes.<\/p>\n

For an insight into how tech and AI is changing the face of business watch Micha Dohler’s presentation at EU’s ‘The Future is Now: AI and Robotics Summit’:<\/p>\n