It’s no secret that COVID-19 has brought on many changes, and the modern workplace is one area that’s been massively impacted. In every industry, COVID-19 has forced companies and their employees to respond to the crisis innovatively, while adapting in order to meet changing sets of demands. Many employees have switched to working from home to adapt to social distancing requirements, while organizations that offer essential services have been forced to come up with new ways to operate. These changes have led companies to look for different qualities and soft skills in the employees that they hire.
If you’re a career college student who’s soon to be entering the post-COVID workforce, here are four soft skills that employers will be looking for.
After Career College, It’s Important to Build Strong Communication Skills
Employers are always looking for team members with a strong ability to communicate. Good communication is essential for effective collaboration, productivity, and relationship building. However, traditional methods of communication have been strained by the restrictions that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on many industries. Employees are no longer able to rely on casual conversations in the workplace to stay engaged and informed, and many companies have been forced to resort to video conferencing platforms and other online communication channels to check in with employees and make announcements.
Employers are looking for career college graduates who possess strong communication skills, and can maintain productive and beneficial relationships with their colleagues despite the changes imposed by COVID-19. Strong communication will only become more important as companies navigate the post-COVID world, so this is an important skill set to focus on.
Companies are Placing Emphasis on Adaptability and Resilience
Considering the evolution in operations that companies have been forced to adapt to as a result of COVID-19, it’s no surprise that many businesses are looking for employees who are adaptable and resilient in the face of change. Employees who can apply creative problem solving techniques and innovative ways of thinking to unprecedented situations are an asset for businesses in almost every industry. Employers will be looking for those who have the ability to overcome obstacles and adversities, as these are the type of team members who will ensure that a business successfully adapts to the post-COVID economy and landscape.
Employers are Looking for Emotional Intelligence
In the post-COVID era, businesses must be prepared to navigate new challenges within a distance economy, and much of this preparation rests on the performance of their employees. This performance, in turn, is greatly affected by the wellbeing of employees. Many organizations will be operating remotely or changing their workflows to allow for better protocols for working from home, and it’s important that despite the distance, the relationships among colleagues are not compromised.
In order to prioritize the health of workplace relations, employers will be looking to hire those who are emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize positive and negative emotions in others by listening attentively and attempting to understand an issue from a different perspective. By applying emotional intelligence on the job, employees can empathize with the needs of others, allowing them to attain a greater understanding of how they can contribute to their team’s performance and collaborate more productively.
Employees Should Be Open to Upskilling
The willingness to upskill through career training is something that organizations are prioritizing in their employees now more than ever. COVID-19 has highlighted the necessity of an organization’s ability to adapt to change and understand which skills will be most beneficial to their operations. A McKinsey Global Institute analysis estimated that even before the pandemic, 40% of the global workforce was in need of partial reskilling to continue with their careers. With changes in consumer demands and advancements in technologies, upskilling is something that employers will continue to value in the post-COVID world.
When someone takes the time to learn new skills by enrolling in a career college program and gaining proficiency and certification in a new area, this demonstrates value to potential employers. No matter the industry, organizations will value the willingness to upskill as a quality in the employees they hire, as this shows that someone is willing to do the work to contribute productively to the changing workplace and adapt to new demands.
A career college program can help you prepare to enter the post-COVID workforce.
Explore programs at Oxford College, a top career college in Ontario, today!