Employers are looking for workers who have that special something: the skills, tendencies and attributes that help to keep productivity—and
profits—up.
What are they? Businesses are looking for employees with strong "personal" skills, according to ACT research. Keep these in mind, because employers
certainly are.
Carefulness: Do you have a tendency to think and plan carefully before acting? This helps with reducing the chance for costly errors, as well as keeping a steady workflow going.
Cooperation: Willingness to engage in interpersonal work situations is very important in the workplace.
Creativity: You've heard of "thinking outside the box"? Employers want innovative people who bring a fresh perspective.
Discipline: This includes the ability to keep on task and complete projects without becoming distracted or bored.
Drive: Businesses want employees who have high aspiration levels and work hard to achieve goals.
Good attitude: This has been shown to predict counterproductive work behaviors, job performance and theft.
Goodwill: This is a tendency to believe others are well-intentioned.
Influence: Groups need strong leaders to guide the way. Influence includes a tendency to positively impact social situations by speaking your mind and becoming a group leader.
Optimism: A positive attitude goes a long way toward productivity.
Order: "Where did I put that?" A tendency to be well organized helps employees to work without major distractions or "roadblocks."
Safe work behaviors: Employers want people who avoid work-related accidents and unnecessary risk-taking in a work environment.
Savvy: This isn't just about job knowledge, but knowledge of coworkers and the working environment. It includes a tendency to read other people's motives from observed behavior and use this information to guide one's thinking and action.
Sociability: How much you enjoy interacting with coworkers affects how well you work with them.
Stability: This means a tendency to maintain composure and rationality in stressful work situations.
Vigor: This is a tendency to keep a rapid tempo and keep busy.
Article provided courtesy of ACT, an independent, nonprofit organization that provides assessment, research, information and program management services in education and workforce development. For more information on how to assess and build upon these and other "personal" skill areas—as well as "foundational" skills such as math,
reading and writing—go to www.act.org/workkeys.
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