Good jobs require skills.
If you aren't having any success landing a better job, you may need to make changes in your approach to fulfill the needs of potential employers. The fact is, employers want people with skills. Having the right set of skills could mean the difference between having a dead-end job, and having a career with future opportunities for advancement. The question, though, is what skills do employers want to see? Although some jobs will require specialized skills or training, many jobs simply require general skills that are easy to obtain. Developing these skills can open up new job opportunities for you.
Communication Skills
Most jobs require solid communication skills. Communication skills involve your ability to convey ideas to others clearly in conversations, emails, presentations and numerous other situations. Good communication goes beyond being able to speak well; it's about being able to convey ideas to people in a variety of ways. A big component of communication is your listening skills. In order to be able to express ideas to others, you need to be able to understand the ideas that others are attempting to communicate to you. Good communication skills reduce conflicts and confusion, and allow for greater efficiency in performing your tasks.
Networking
It is often said that it's not what you know that's important, but who you know that really matters. While what you know is, in fact, quite important, who you know can also be important in landing a new job. Having connections alone won't land you a job, but it can open up opportunities. You should take advantage of your personal network as best as possible. Ways of doing this can include connecting with your university alumni association or using a social networking site like LinkedIn to find opportunities you might not know about. Remember, you don't need to feel ashamed about using your connections to advance your career.
Professionalism
Professionalism is the skill of understanding corporate culture. In order to advance your career, you need to be perceived as professional. This means doing things like dressing appropriately, being polite, understanding business etiquette and keeping on top of deadlines. It's important to show these skills during a job interview. If you show up late, speak impolitely, or fail to dress appropriately for an interview, it's very unlikely that a company will see any potential in you. You also have to showcase these skills in your current job, both to increase your chances of an internal promotion and to receive a good recommendation from supervisors.
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