Common questions that are routinely asked in an interview, no matter the type of position: “What are your strengths?” and “What are your weaknesses?” The answers to these questions should be directly related to your skills. Too many people focus on personality traits when they hear this question. Stand out as a front runner by understanding what your soft and had (aka Technical) skills are, how you can leverage them for your employer’s benefit, and how you can use them to career match.
There are 20 million more people employed today than there were during the Great Recession. Unemployment was at an all-time high of 10% in 2009, but now, the U.S. rate is nearing a record low of 3.7%. These figures mean a few things for both employers and prospective candidates in the job market. First, employers have found themselves having to take a more competitive approach to attract hires. Perks, benefits, and culture have become paramount in a potential hire’s decision making when faced with options. Companies have been gobsmacked by Millennials and Gen Z. They’ve been slapped in the face with cultural shifts these new workers demand from their employers. Though it seems that prospective new hires have an upper hand on available positions, the workforce has become a living environment where top talent is continually looking for the next best thing.
In this highly fluid and competitive landscape, how can one better their chances of landing the job? Identifying skills that are tangible and teachable, establishing which are needed for your desired job, and continuously developing these skills will increase your chances of turning that interview into a job offer. Bringing an indisputable set of hard skills to the table, mixed with the appropriate soft skills will bring you into top consideration.
Not to disregard soft skills, but when it comes to the job search, hard technical skills are the defining factor. These are teachable abilities and can easily be defined and measured. For example, typing. If a job requires a 90-words per minute typing speed, that can be measured. Through the progression of the modern workplace, testing a candidate on specific skills has become commonplace. Soft skills and interpersonal skills are considered subjective. These skills are difficult to quantify and leave room for a candidate to distort the truth in an interview. For instance, a claim of having a good work ethic. At what level is good? The level that is considered acceptable is all up to the interviewer. Since this is difficult to prove, providing examples is the best way to demonstrate these skills.
However, it will be painfully obvious quickly if one stretched the truth about their programming language skills. Employers will place emphasis on measuring one’s skill level to narrow down the field. Today’s generation is all about technology, getting the job done in the easiest way possible, and faster is usually better. Nobody has an over-abundance of time to waste. That’s why we focus directly on skills to match job seekers to employers’ jobs. It’s fast.
As a job seeker, research your desired role or career path to determine the hard skills you need that you do not possess. New technology, processes, products, and ideas come up every day. Training yourself to be a subject matter expert or specialist is what “top” candidates do. Knowing a little bit throughout several skills is nice, but the subject matter expert finds leadership success by mastering a focused skill set.
Develop and master your skills through pepelwerk’s Coaching and Education features. Take inventory of your skills and be sure to add them to your pepelwerk Talent Profile. Defining and focusing on your desired hard skills will not only land you the job, but it will also launch your career.