No matter what your
major-and even if you’ve been working for a while - here are the basics
everyone needs for success. People who consistently hit the ball out of the
park didn’t necessarily have the most impressive degrees or credentials, or the
fanciest titles. Instead, the ones who stood out, and went furthest, were those
with the best “people skills”.
Call it emotional intelligence
(EQ), or soft skills, a knack for connecting with other people is crucial, from
finding your first job until the day you retire.
Institutions/Companies
always hire someone-or don’t- based on the ‘little’ stuff, like showing up on
time, smiling, making eye contact, a positive attitude. These are the things no
one teaches you in school, yet they make an enormous difference.
Of course, the basics
come naturally to some, but others never learn them. To take just one example,
most people never think of sending a post-interview note, briefly recapping the
conversation. This is one of the habits that can be essential to land the job
one wants.
Again, its natural to
be impressed or intimated by others’ qualifications, whether they have an MBA
that you lack or just more experience or what you have. We’ve all been through
these situations, at one time or another. But be honest and straightforward
anyway, simply because people can always see through. Besides, trying to be
someone you’re not is exhausting.
Each of us has our
own strengths. The next step is to find a line of work where your strengths are
real advantages. Then narrow your search to those jobs where you’re most likely
to shine. That builds confidence.
Something else that
really helps is to be persistent. Not every job interview is going to go well.
That’s okay, just keep going. That adds to the confidence, too.
Whether job hunting
or in business, its planning and preparation that matter most. Learn all you
can about the place/company where you’re applying, and especially about the
person/s interviewing you. This used to be difficult, but the internet has made
it easy.
Resilience matters
too. Job hunting can be such an emotional roller coaster, you’re way up one day
and way down the next. The danger is, you can get depressed and come across in
interviews as tired and negative. When you start to feel burned out, take a day
off. Go to the park, or a movie or a museum and get refreshed and recharged.
Next, you’ve just
been hired. What would be the most important soft skill required ? Its a hard
choice, but the number one definitely would be patience. It takes about six
months to settle in and feel comfortable in a new job. After all, you’re
learning new processes, meeting new people, and getting used to a new boss, who
no doubt has a different idiosyncrasies than your previous one.
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