Most Desired Job Skills

Browse any help wanted section in the newspaper or jobs posted online and you’re sure to find a few skills that apply to nearly every job in any industry. Possessing these skills will surely help open doors for you and they may not all be taught in coursework for your specific degree.

Microsoft Office- Microsoft office is commonly used in many, many offices across the country. Often reports will be written in Microsoft Word, emails will be managed with Microsoft Outlook, and presentations will be created using Microsoft Power Point. Learn your way around these programs to make yourself more marketable to employers.

Excel- While we are aware that Excel is part of Microsoft Office, we feel that this one deserves extra attention. Never underestimate the power of a good spreadsheet. Many careers will use spreadsheets on a daily basis and employers are not willing to teach the program. Learn how to manipulate the spreadsheets and you may even find yourself making spreadsheets when you’re off the clock.

Customer Service Experience- While not all careers are retail based, customer service experience will come in handy in any position. For businesses to be profitable, they must keep clients happy and each role in the company plays a part in this. Gain this experience by working while you earn your degree. This experience will teach you a lot about conflict resolution and communication.

Communication Skills- speaking of communication skills…make sure you have some. This applies to one on one conversations, telephone skills, and email correspondence. While you may not be answering a phone all day or responding to emails, you will need to professionally address your co-workers and those you do business with.

Typing Skills- This goes along with all the other skills. Chicken scratch will just not do in an office enviornment. Work on your typing skills. Take online tests to measure speed and accuracy and try to reach a speed of at least 60/ words per minute with a 97% accuracy level at minimum..

You should be able to find college courses or community courses to help you catch up on these skills. Check with the employment offices in your area to see what classes they have available. Many classes can be taken online at your own pace. You never know where these fundamental skills will take you.