The end of the year is the perfect time to take stock of where you are, what you’re good at, and what you want to develop in the new year. The job market continues to be intense and competitive, so you’re wise to consider hiring trends and how you can best prepare and set yourself apart.
There is one skill that tops the list for getting the job, building your career, and becoming indispensable: resilience.
Resilience has many forms. At a general level, resilience is about adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness to multiple situations. But when you consider it through a few lenses, it brings terrific focus to what you must be wicked good at for the brightest future.
RESILIENCE WITH PEOPLE
Topping the list of which skills will set you apart are people skills also known as soft skills. And while they’re called soft skills, they’re actually not soft at all since they are hard to find, hard to master, and it’s hard to get anywhere without them.
In particular, a survey by Resume Template found that 24% of hiring managers believe soft skills are most important, followed by 62% who say they are just as important as technical skills. And data from TestGorilla found that 60% of hiring leaders believe soft skills are more important today than they were five years ago.
But what’s helpful to consider is that soft skills are really made up of an ability to be resilient with people. When you can listen with empathy, you’re better able to respond. When you can communicate effectively with diverse groups of people, you can get more done. When you can demonstrate teamwork and collaboration, you’re able to move others to action and effectively achieve objectives together. And when you show professionalism through tough issues, you’ll generate a lot of panache. These are all among the top-ranking skills that hiring managers want, according to Resume Template.
Ultimately, resilience is required with people because you’ll need to be constantly adjusting to their moods or their styles. You’ll also need to flex your style if you face conflict, staying calm when you feel angry, or finding a way to talk with someone even if you disagree.
