We talk about skills and skills development a lot here in the blog, and with good reason.
You’ll often be asked about your skills when putting together an application – whether it’s for work experience, a job, a traineeship or apprenticeship, or even university.
Many of these things come with a set list of skills employers or course providers will be looking for, and it’s your job to articulate how you have the required skills.
But why wait until you know what an application asks for when you can start building those in-demand skills right now?
National Skills Week is the ultimate opportunity to do just this.
What is National Skills Week?
National Skills Week sets out to bring to life the positive messages, highlighting the talents, the skills, the career pathways and the value of apprentices and trainees across Australia to the wider public and employers.
The week is dedicated to raising the status of practical and vocational learning and helping young people understand what skills can look like in the workplace.
National Skills Week is an initiative of SkillsOne, which drives the campaign by working with government and stakeholders to achieve beneficial outcomes for all learners.
This year, the week takes place from the 22nd to the 28th of August, and it’s an excellent opportunity to engage with vocational skills – both in terms of traineeships and apprenticeships – but more generally in the world of work and what employers look for.
5 In-Demand Skills Employers Say They Look For
Here at Explore Careers, we spend a lot of time chatting with employers about what they look for in potential employees.
We also ask them what young people should be thinking about and focusing on to help get ahead when it comes to getting started with work. Here are the top five transferable skills that come up time and again:
1. Motivation
Employers want to know that you’re genuinely keen and motivated to work in the industry they operate in and in their business. You don’t have to know everything about the industry to show motivation, but you do need to be able to demonstrate that this is where you want to be!
This could look like this:
- Doing some work experience, volunteering or job shadowing in the sector.
- Staying current on the industry developments and growth and researching the company you apply to.
- Take part in extra activities that show your motivation to work in the sector, such as online webinars, workshops, or short courses.Â
2. Commitment
Nobody likes flaky people, and employers want to know you’re prepared – and able to – commit to something, at least for a reasonable amount of time. This is especially true when it comes to things like traineeships, apprenticeships and cadetships.
You can show commitment through:
- Similar activities that demonstrate motivation.
- Demonstrating how and when you’ve committed to something (anything!) for a significant amount of time, even if it was a challenge (driving lessons are a good example!).
- Examples of how you overcame adversity to achieve something – perhaps resitting an exam or having to put in extra hours of study to succeed.
3. Problem Solving
Problem-solving can mean many things, but essentially being able to show that you’re switched on and ready to handle whatever comes your way. When we think of ‘problems’ it’s usually the big chaotic things that need to be solved, but problem-solving could also be thinking of and recommending a better way of doing things that improves the workplace.
Problem-solving skills can be demonstrated by:
- Examples of when you had an idea that improved things for others.
- Times you acted to resolve an issue someone else came to you with.
- Examples of how you worked with others and contributed to a team effort to overcome a challenge.
- What you did to resolve a situation where your first idea didn’t work.
4. Creativity
Don’t panic – we’re not talking about having amazing artistic skills here! Creativity is all about curiosity and ideas. It’s the ability to look at things and ask questions, imagine if there’s another way to do it, and work with others to develop and deliver innovative and proactive ways that add value to others.
You can showcase creativity skills through:
- Examples of when you had an idea and saw it through to implementation (maybe for a new club at school, a new initiative such as recycling, or a creative fundraising idea for a good cause).
- Approaches to challenges in your life that helped you overcome – perhaps a unique study or revision method!
5. Teamwork
Even though the world of work has seen some significant changes and remote working is on the rise, teamwork remains a vital transferable skill employers look for. Teamwork will look different in teams that work on and off-site, so it’s essential to focus on teamwork skills, such as communication, which helps keep everyone on the same page.
You can showcase your teamwork capabilities through:
- Examples of teamwork activities such as sports, clubs or hobbies.
- Group projects and assignments required you to work collaboratively to deliver a set outcome.
- Study and revision groups where you support one another.
These are all just a few ideas, and we bet there are plenty more unique ones from your individual experiences! See these as starting points, and why not try to make a comprehensive list of examples of how you demonstrate each of these skills.
Find Out More
If you want to learn more about National Skills Week, there’s lots of great info and resources – as well as ways to get involved – on the dedicated website.
And if you want to hear more about the types of skills employers are after, look no further than our ongoing employer interview series!
There’s a wide range to get stuck into and heaps of insights on what to think about and focus on now to get into the career of your dreams.
