Employment

Nowadays to succeed in your workplace, especially office work, apart from the fundamental hard skills needed for the job, people should possess several critical skills. I’m talking about so called soft skills which are becoming crucial for a person to move up the career ladder. These, in my opinion, are as follows:

• communication skills
• teamwork
• taking initiative
• adaptability

Being able to deliver your thoughts clearly and to the point is one of the most important skills.  I would say it is an essential skill that every employee should have. It’s not only the presentation skills that I’m talking about but being a person your colleagues would be comfortable working with. Having an open mind to listen in conflicting situations and respect for others opinion, are qualities that are essential. 

Being able to work on a team is as much important as communication skills. Here in the Canadian workspace we meet people coming from diverse cultures and that gives us an opportunity to develop ‘getting along with others’ skill. Mutual respect and seeing the common goal will lead your team and the company you work for to new heights of success in any dynamic and rapidly growing industry.

Taking initiative will help you accomplish your career goals as well as the business you work in. All these extra steps you’re taking to bring your knowledge to the table in a more efficient way won’t go unnoticed. Not only you’re doing it for the company, you’re doing it for yourself, you grow with every challenge taken and this is the most valuable experience you could get.

Being flexible, especially in stressful situations, which might arise in the workplace, being able to change along appropriately to meet the company’s needs is very essential for success in work and in life. We grow, we change, we (want to believe) get wise with every experience and I think it’s very important to work on these skills to live and work to your full potential.

Honestly, I don’t have much knowledge about the jobs available for those, who don’t have a high school diploma; I’m guessing survival ones, general labour. But, on the other hand:

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

When I was a kid people would tell me that without a high school diploma, then Bachelor and Master, I’ll end up with a very limited mindset and I partially agree. But let’s not forget about all these successful entrepreneurs out there, who were able to self-realize without having any diplomas.

“Our rapidly moving, information-based society badly needs people who know how to find facts rather than memorize them, and who know how to cope with change in creative ways. You don’t learn those things in school.” – Wendy Priesnitz