Nine years ago management guru Tom Peters warned employees that only those who constantly retool themselves stand a chance of staying employed in the years ahead. Fast forward to today’s frenetic pace and high rate of change in business requires a range of skills for survival and success.
A couple of ideas spring to mind for both employed and unemployed South Africans to hone our existing skill sets, as well as ways to develop new survivor skills:
Lack of time in the business world means people read less and more focus more on visuals
Create short CVs, easy on the words, and include a current photo of yourself looking business like and approachable
Keep up with the latest computer software upgrades and familiarise yourself with open course software and the latest apps on the internet
Improve your touch typing and test your speed and accuracy for free on sites like typing.com
Find out about available training, learnerships and bursaries on Skills Portal
Use free Wi-Fi connectivity to get your face, profile and CV on various platforms to connect with business professionals like on Talent360 and LinkedIn
Create job alerts on Careers24 and Jobs Portal
In essence this means working on becoming more accessible, adaptable and personable
‘Self-motivated and innovative communicators stand out,’ agrees Ann Clarke, Managing Director of options in training, a corporate business training company specialising in both Business and Computer Skills facilitation. Candidates who display well developed interpersonal skills; who are aware of what they can and can’t do, are willing to develop new competencies and are secure enough to ask for help or feedback, are more likely to be employed. Staff who are easy to get on with, tend to be retained. It’s not that they like everyone they come into contact with, but they know how to work well with other people in order to get their jobs done.
Interpersonal skills are our most important asset
Employees who put others at ease; who really listen to what others have to say and who have the ability to network effectively have formed an important business advantage. The great news is that everyone is capable of developing these competencies. Attending a Workplace Communication Skills training course could help you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your communication style.
Internal business communication with team members and across departments has to be a two-way process in order for it to be effective. Delegates who have attended such courses have discovered that they had acquired bad listening habits over the years, partly because they listened solely for facts and not for feelings, but also because they spent their listening time formulating their own responses. The development of pro-active listening skills encourages speakers to be more articulate and listeners more engaged-which also makes a huge difference when dealing with suppliers and customers.
Self-management skills boost productivity and accomplishment
Ease into EQ training encourages delegates to become more adept at adapting their communication style to suit different people and situations. This requires the development of self-awareness and control, but in turn boosts productivity and accomplishment at work. Adopting the right approach from the beginning makes a world of difference to the outcome of an interview, sales pitch, negotiation or brainstorming session.
Learning to utilise your emotional intelligence in your dealings with people of all kinds will enable you to build a strong network of cooperative, mutually beneficial relationships and increase your value as a company asset.
Contact Ann Clarke on ann@optionsit.co.za for information on Business and Computer Skills training courses offered at options in training in Bramley
