Critical Skills for the Workplace in the 21st Century
Critical Skills for the Workplace in the 21st Century
Skill means the ability to do something well or perform successfully, usually gained through experience and training. We have the opportunity to acquire many skills during our life especially when we are young. There are many critical skills college or university students try to acquire as preparation for a career. In my opinion, communication, personal and technology skills are the three main skills that can help students to build a great career.
Communication skills are perhaps the most important skills to get a good job and succeed in that job. For example, a bilingual banker working in an area with a Spanish-speaking minority will be better able to communicate with customers of the bank because he or she can speak Spanish and English. Furthermore, communication skills can help to acquire information management skills, which include collecting and analyzing data. No matter what job one may have, we are constantly exposed to a lot of information via various mediums like lectures, memos, books, the internet etc. It is important for people in the work force to be able to isolate important facts from this vast sea of information. To do so one needs critical reasoning and analytical skills. For example, someone employed by the county for developing real estate will need to refer to county records to determine which properties should be developed further to benefit the county. Such a job would require strong analytical skills and foresight. Public speaking also falls under communication skills and is perhaps the single most important factor in a person’s success in the work force. Human are social animals, we work together and hence it is very important for us to be able to communicate our ideas in a clear and concise manner to others. For example, if a student went for a job interview then it is up to him or her to prove to the employers that he or she has the necessary skills. To do so the student will need to have good speaking skills. Also, once in the work force, a worker will often be expected deliver presentations to fellow employees or simply talk to co-workers regarding company policies, work ethics etc. This in turn needs good Public Speaking skills.
Interpersonal skills like teamwork and professionalism help us work better in the work force with our fellow co-workers. Moreover, good interpersonal skills help...