Your temporary job may not be your long-term career choice, but there’s no need to panic! From getting your foot in the door to gaining valuable insight, being a temporary worker is a great way to bridge the skill and experience gap during your search for a better position. When you practice and strengthen the five universal skills that every employer wants, you’ll improve your chance of receiving a job offer and maybe even land your dream job! Read on to learn what these skills are!
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
No matter what industry you’re in, the ability to interact well with others both verbally and written will serve you well. Employers want to know that you can listen carefully to their instructions and the concerns of their clients. You’ll also need to be able to interpret what others are saying and organize and express their thoughts and yours, clearly, whether in emails, phone calls, meetings, presentations, and day-to-day work. Communication skills take practice, and one of the best ways to grow is by getting feedback. Whenever you can, seek feedback from your recruitment agency and the co-workers you interact with on each of your temping assignments.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Can you assess situations and solve problems? Analyze and interpret information? Improve upon current systems? Employers place great value on employees who can leverage the power of critical thinking, which is the ability to think clearly and rationally and understand the logical connection between ideas. When you think reflectively and independently, it not only allows you to weigh up the pros and cons, but it ultimately helps you solve existing problems, and sometimes find solutions to problems no one ever imagined. It’s not an easy skill to develop but reading widely and questioning basic assumptions is a great place to start.
TEAM WORK
As the saying goes “teamwork makes the dream work,” which essentially means that the better you work with your teammates, the more successful your team will be. The best way to enhance this skill is to volunteer for any team projects and contribute positively to the team using your well-developed communication and problem-solving skills.
LEARNING NEW SKILLS
In today’s high-tech and high-speed world, learning new skills is more important than ever. Jobs are constantly changing and evolving, and employers want people who can adjust and learn as the changes come. There are a number of free online courses available from sites such as Coursera, edX, and Udemy, where you can accelerate your learning on a dime, and prove to your potential employer how resourceful you are.
ETHICAL SKILLS
A good worth ethic will always be an in-demand skill. When you put your company first, manage your time wisely and maintain a balanced and consistent performance in your work, employers will be chomping at the bit. Displaying integrity, professionalism, and self-discipline in your day-to-day tasks, while avoiding gossip and harmful talk about and against others will always make you an asset at any company.
