According to a Chinese proverb, the best time to plant a tree was 100 years ago; the next best time is now.
In that spirit, I now begin to post some material that may be of interest and value to those now seeking jobs or will soon do so. Please be alert for my additional posts on separate but related subjects in weeks to come.
Here is a brief excerpt from an article written by Ruth Mantell and featured online by The Wall Street Journal. To read the complete article, check out other resources, and obtain information about subscription discounts, please click here.
Illustration Credit: Richard Faust
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Even as employers remain cautious next year about every dollar spent on employees, they’ll also want workers to show greater skills and results.
For employees who want to get ahead, basic competency won’t be enough.
To win a promotion or land a job next year, experts say there are four must-have job skills.
[Here’s the first of the four.]
1. Clear communications
Whatever their level, communication is key for workers to advance.
“This is really the ability to clearly articulate your point of view and the ability to create a connection through communication,” says Holly Paul, U.S. recruiting leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting and consulting firm based in New York.
For job seekers in particular, clear communication can provide a snapshot of their work style to employers. “I can walk away from a five-minute conversation and feel their enthusiasm and have a good understanding of what’s important to them,” Ms. Paul says.
As office conversations increasingly move online, some workers are losing or never developing the ability to give a presentation, for example. Others may be unable to write coherently for longer than, say, 140 characters.
“Technology in some ways has taken away our ability to write well. People are in such a hurry that they are multitasking,” and they skip basics such as spelling and proofing, says Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, (CA) staffing firm.
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To read the complete article, please contact her here.
Ruth Mantell is a reporter for MarketWatch. Read more at marketwatch.com. You can contact her at ruth.mantell@dowjones.com.