There is much talk about the need for more skilled applicants to meet future needs of companies, especially in the technology industry.  Some refer to lack of math and science education, and others mention lack of manual skills for manufacturing jobs.

The American Management Association 2010 Critical Skills Survey found that managers are focused less on the basic 3R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) and more on a general ability to respond to their environment.  These skills, the 4 C’s, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and finally creativity, are seen as important to today’s ever-changing business environment. 

According to an article in Staffing Management (July-September 2010), the majority of executives assess both job applicants and employees on these skills.  The respondents indicated that these skills help the companies respond to the pace of change in their business and the factor of global competitiveness. 

As to how the current workforce measures up, over half the employers felt their employees were only average in communication skills and creativity and innovation.  They did rate them slightly higher in critical thinking and collaboration and team building.  They have addressed these issues in the workplace by using one-on-one coaching and mentoring, followed by professional development and training.  The report did say that managers felt it was much easier to develop these skills in students early on, rather than teaching the experienced worker.

A few years ago I attended a meeting between employers and community college educators, held to get input from the business community on what they wanted future employees to learn.  I was amazed that the issues were personal responsibility, clear communications, reliability (showing up on time and staying at work for their entire shift), and problem solving.  Sounds like not much has changed.  The real question is, why are students not learning these skills as part of their K-12 education?  That opens an entire new topic for a later time.

In the meantime, as a job seeker, be aware of these needs and tune up your skills before you apply.  Godd luck.

Tags: applications, effective learning, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job seeker attitudes, performance management

Not having a job doesn’t feel very good. It gets even worse when you realize that the job market may not value your skills and experience as much as you do. The “new” economy needs a new skill set and this may be your golden opportunity to find a totally new career.

An article in the Free Press (freep.com) in January tells the stories of some who have retrained and regrouped to find new opportunities. One person who was a telecommunications specialist is now earning a Master’s Degree in Counseling. The article quoted a 2008 MetLife Foundation Career Survey that found as many as 8.4 million people between the ages of 44 and 70 had launched a new career to combine earning a salary with jobs that had more social impact and were important to that person. Another avenue many pursue is to update skills in their field through additional schooling. At the local community colleges there are engineers and administrators taking specific classes to open new doors in a growing industry.

Now may be the time to pursue your passions or interests as you look for the next great job. To get more information on what industries to target, the local workforce surveys and economic studies are a good resource. Your local university or community college can tell you what industry is looking for in their graduates. Most educational institutions have a career center, and those people are there to help you find a direction. They can provide testing to identify interests or aptitudes and then show you what classes are available in your area of interest. Local professional societies are another source for potential jobs, and it is also a good idea to keep up on the business news.

Once you identify some opportunities that might interest you, figure out what type of candidate will be successful at that job. Ask associates if they know anyone in the field and interview them. Sometimes the job described isn’t the job you get, so make sure you know what you are asking for. All this being said, there is still an economic downturn to deal with, so don’t lose heart. While you are waiting for your big break, look for simple things you can do to provide a service that might give you some revenue. An area of opportunity that I have recently discovered is helping an advocate for the older generation that has no living family members to look after their affairs. There should be many services that will be needed. Be creative – and good luck!

Tags: applications, candidates, change management, effective learning, job seeker, job seeker attitudes

We’ve all fallen asleep in training sessions or in conferences that are meant to teach us important things..but don’t quite reach us. Our brains are complex things and resist change, and even if the message gets through we only retain about 5% of the information. So how can a poor lecturer get through to us?

An article in HR Magazine (Nov 2009) by Charles Jacobs suggests that the best way to get through to the audience is through stories. Think about the last time you heard a good lecture. I’m willing to be it wasn’t a presenter that flipped through a pile of Powerpoint slides with lists of facts. The lectures I remember (though not everything, of course) were ones that inspired emotion in some way. Sometimes the lecturer connected with me personally by talking about feelings or events I identify with, such as motherhood or the environment. Other times the presenter may connect their topic to a current political hot button. Personal experiences help, but if they aren’t in a world I relate to I’ll soon be playing with my cell phone. As an attendee at events where it is important that I learn the subject, I try to make a connection even if the speaker isn’t quite capturing my attention. I may even decide I don’t particularly like the presenter or his lecture, and just the fact that I’m looking for things to disagree with keeps me focused.

A good presenter has a few other skills besides storytelling. They really need a sense of humor, some flexibility in adjusting to a particular audience, and enthusiasm! Nothing loses an audience faster than a droning voice reading the notes to them.

If you are trying to lead a group and need to have them focused on the task, it helps to give a clear picture of the final product or event through a story. The audience needs some sort of vision to hang on to while they wade through the task at hand.

Retraining is more prevalent now than in the past, because of the shifting job market. It is important to learn new skills well, and one can only hope the instructor or lecturer cares as much about the learning process as you do. It is important that you engage, and if the speaker is off the mark try asking questions to get what you need. The audience can make an average speaker successful by being attentive and responding to his ideas, so hang in there and learn.

Tags: change management, effective learning, public speaking, retraining