Communication Most Wanted Job Skill

My friends, I found this article that might open your eyes. Clear communication most wanted job skill in all aspects of work.

The Wall Street Journal gets to the point:

Clear Communication is the most needed job skill that will make a difference in your career.

Use it & take action

ANDY


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:

Clear communication most wanted in all jobs

Whatever their level, communication is key for workers to advance.

“This is the ability to articulate your point of view and the skill 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,” 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 proof reading, says Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, Calif., staffing firm.
PS: here is your tool to improve communications

Personal branding

Human-resources executives scour blogs, Twitter and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn when researching candidates, and it’s important that they like what they find.

“That’s your brand, that’s how you represent yourself,” says Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, a Hauppauge, N.Y., provider of workplace-training services. “If you post something that comes back to haunt you, people will see that.”

Flexibility

The ability to quickly respond to an employer’s changing needs will be important next year as organizations try to respond nimbly to customers.

“A lot of companies want us to work with their employees about how to get out of their comfort zone, how to adapt,” says Handal. “Somebody’s job today may not be the same as next year.”

The ability to learn new skills is of top importance, says George Boué, human-resources vice president for Stiles, a real-estate services company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “We want to know that if we roll out a new program or new tools that the folks we have on board are going to be open to learning,” he says.

Productivity improvement

In 2013, workers should find new ways to increase productivity, experts say. Executives are looking for a 20% improvement in employee performance next year from current levels, according to a recent survey by the Corporate Executive Board, an Arlington, Va., business research and advisory firm.

“When you are at your job, do you volunteer for projects? Are you looking for creative ways to help your organization,” McDonald says. “The way to differentiate yourself is to be proactive.”

Companies that are considering adding workers in coming years want current employees to operate in growth mode now. “My clients are looking for employees that have a great ability to understand what is wanted and needed, rather than needing to be told,” Haberfeld says.

Even hiring managers need to work on certain skills as organizations consider expanding next year. “The ability to spot talent and hire people has fallen out of use over the last several years,” says Ben Dattner, an organizational psychologist in New York. “As the economy turns around companies will have to work harder to retain talented employees. Companies have trimmed the fat, and now they have to build the muscle.”


View original Article on WSJ online: Must have Job Skills 2013 by Ruth Mantell


Final Words: Learn communication most wanted skill to succeed in business and life.