If we use the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (DRAE) to consult what ability means, we will find that this is a word that comes etymologically from the following:
- 1. Ability and disposition for something.
- 2. Grace and skill in executing something that serves as an ornament to the person, such as dancing, riding a horse, etc.
- 3. Each of the things that a person executes with grace and skill.
- 4. Tangle arranged with ingenuity, dissimulation, and skill.
When we talk about skills, an infinite range of options opens up before us. Because beyond our technical knowledge linked to a professional career, skills are what disposes and predisposes us to do something and to do it well. The abilities, in addition, are distinguished by the hackneyed:
- Hard Skills: those that we have learned through education or practice.
- Soft Skills: they complement the first ones and are those that are obtained with daily experience.
Experts agree that these skills are tremendously useful for successful development in a job position. Hence, lately, they are examined with a magnifying glass in the selection processes. Thus, a good candidate, in addition to knowledge about their profession and/or business, must have skills related to problem-solving, cooperation, or teamwork.
Can these skills be trained?
The answer is a resounding yes. Just as the first ( hard skills ) can be learned, there are countless opportunities (natural or sought) to train those soft skills that companies seek in their candidates. But do you know what they are and how you can work on them so that they emerge in you?
There are 10 skills most in demand by companies today. Check what they are and what you can do to improve them. You will see that this is a personal and relatively simple training that you can easily exercise in your day to day. Interested? Well let’s go there!
Also read : 9 Online training to explore new horizons
10 most demanded skills by companies
1. Work as a team
Working as a team is a perfect task to develop multiple more skills. The first thing you must do to start is to eliminate your eternal reluctance to work as a team . They are nothing more than an obstacle to achieve it.
Try to develop the habit of working in a team often, in whatever setting you find yourself: in the English class, at the sports center or even with the family. Opening up your predisposition will help you get started with training. And it will come out.
Also read : How to work in a team?
2. Proactivity
If you have proposed to improve your proactivity, it is because within you there is a proactive person. Many times we do not dare to be proactive because we think that we are out of place or that our opinions will not be heard . But that is an educated opinion. Start raising your hand every time you think you have something important to contribute. You will see that it is the beginning of a successful career towards proactivity.
3. Resolve conflicts
Conflicts are present in our lives. They are part of our daily life and will always be there, putting us to the test. There are many ways to resolve conflicts : sometimes impulsively, other times by letting them die of exhaustion . However, in the field of the company, people capable of solving problems in a rational and systematic way are necessary, with the essential decision-making and implementation of solutions.
Start working on conflict resolution in a practical way, approaching the analysis, weighing pros and cons to propose an accurate and useful solution . Seeing that this practice works will help us to continue developing this skill.
4. Orientation to results
It is not easy to learn to work oriented to results, especially if it is a skill in which we limp. In addition to having clear objectives, training this skill requires a lot of effort and daily work . You have to achieve persistence through habit and this is a task that we must carry out every day, focusing not only on our performance, but on that of the people who work with us. If we succeed, we may be able to be the motor of the machine. That is one of the greatest achievements and surely you will be recognized for it.
5. Adaptation to change
In the last year almost all of us have done a master’s degree on how to adapt to uncertain or changing situations. The pandemic has been an intense workout . But life goes on and there will be more changes to face. A good way to train for the future is to be proactive and observant, with the aim of anticipating changes. Here training and flexibility are essential to surf the waves that come and maintain maximum stability.
6. Pressure tolerance
Learning to work under pressure is something that many people have integrated as if it were an innate ability. Even so, we cannot say that there is any ability that is born with us.
Those who work well under pressure have worked hard for years , so their stamina has won. To work on this skill, you have to be skilled in time management, organize goals and know how to find spaces for relaxation and relaxation.
7. Make decisions
Uncertainty lives in the human being, but you have to learn to make decisions. Companies need it. To achieve this, you have to know the situation very well, develop the pros and cons of choosing one way out or another , and find the resources to get it right. In this sense, training experiences should help us to be better at making future decisions, combining our acquired knowledge with the needs of the company and the availability of resources.
8. Communicate effectively
Communication is a very broad concept that can be trained from different fields and with different tools. In addition to learning from the experts (using tricks and obtaining knowledge to communicate orally or in writing), we must sign up to participate in all those meetings and events in which we have the opportunity to train our communication skills . A simple presentation before a group of colleagues from the company can be the beginning of everything.
9. Empathy
Empathy is a skill of human beings and some large primates, but that is not enough. You have to train her. To do so, it is best to participate in organizations or associations where we can listen to experiences and testimonies that are foreign to us, that bring us closer to different realities and allow us to discover how privileged we are in many areas of life. Opening our eyes will help us to be more empathetic in our personal and professional lives.
10. Active listening
We say that we are listening, but many times we are with our heads elsewhere or with our eyes on our mobile. Training active listening is actually very easy. You can start doing it at home, with your children, your partner or your parents . Or with your friends, on the terrace of a bar. Listening, looking into the eyes and training yourself to re-educate yourself is the key. Everyone around you and the people who work with you will appreciate it.
Also read : Why active listening is a crucial skill?