The top ten employee skills to look out for

Confederation of British Industry (CBI) research has highlighted a lack of key workplace skills in
new recruits. So what exactly should you be looking out for in new members of staff?

When hiring new staff, it is all too easy to put too much emphasis on their academic qualifications.
However, this often tells you little about how they would cope in the workplace.

It’s also important to take into account their practical and transferable skills, as this is often what will
determine how well they will adapt to the world of work. However, these are often exactly what new
recruits are lacking, with research from the CBI showing that 55% of employers feel school leavers lack
the key attributes they are looking for to ensure their business is successful, including problem solving
and technical skills.

So what should employers concentrate on when making hiring decisions?

Research by the University of Kent has identified the top ten skills which are deemed most important by
businesses:

1 – Verbal communication

The top most sought after skill was good verbal communication. Almost every job will involve talking to
colleagues or customers at some point and employees should be able to express themselves clearly,
confidently and concisely, tailoring their style to their audience. Communication is not all about talking, the
best employees will be able to listen to what people are saying, process it and act on it. However, despite
communication being a highly-desired skill, 33% of companies think their workers are lacking it, according
to a survey by HR Magazine.

2 – Teamwork

Many companies ask people to work in groups on projects, or in less hierarchical organisations, in self-
managed teams. To succeed in these environments, employees should be able to cooperate with their
colleagues, taking their share of the responsibility and putting forward their ideas in a confident, rather
than passive or aggressive manner.

3 – Commercial awareness

If workers have a good understanding of the wider environment in which a business operates and
knowledge of its customer base then they can demonstrate their commitment to that particular sector. A
survey by CBI and Universities UK found that over a third of employers were dissatisfied with the
business acumen and customer awareness graduates displayed.

4 – Analysing and investigating

Problems crop up all the time and you need employees who are able to deal with them in a logical and
analytical manner rather than getting into a panic or simply ignoring them.

5 – Self-motivation

Managers can’t spend every minute of the day monitoring their staff, so it’s important that employees are
self-motivated and able to use their initiative to prioritise their tasks, come up with better ways of working
and take responsibility for their own projects.
6 – Drive

Companies need employees who can get things done and are motivated to do the best job they possibly
can. CBI research shows that over a third of employers felt that school-leavers lacked the right attitude
towards work.

7 – Written communication

Data from Skills for Life shows that 15% of adults don’t have basic literacy skills. It’s normally something
which employers are made aware of straight away, as data from the Recruitment and Employment
Commission highlights that around half of all CVs received by recruitment consultants contain spelling or
grammatical errors. Being able to write emails, letters and reports with a clear structure and appropriate
style and content is a valuable skill.

8 – Planning and organising

For workers to be at their most productive, they need to be able to organise their workload and plan their
daily tasks effectively. Being able to work to deadlines and set themselves achievable targets is a
beneficial skill.

9 – Flexibility

The workplace is constantly changing and the best workers can adapt to new circumstances and
environments. Good employees should be able to take on new challenges at short notice and deal with
altering priorities and shifting workloads.

10 – Time management

Rounding off the top ten and edging out skills such as leadership, negotiation, creativity and stress
tolerance is time management. Businesses want employees to be able to cope with the conflicting
demands on their time, make the most of their hours at work and prioritise certain tasks.

While these ten are all great skills to look out for in potential recruits, once you have hired someone you
should help them hone their abilities by providing regular training.

Offering training to staff is proven to boost productivity and motivation and improve staff retention.
Research from the London School of Economics highlights that for every one percentage point increase
in the proportion of a workforce receiving training, productivity per hour increases by 0.6%, while over half
of the businesses questioned by the Association in Accounting Technicians believe that the main benefits
of improving staff skill levels are increased commitment and retention.

Here at learndirect we offer a number of courses which can equip your staff with valuable workplace
skills. Take a look at the various courses and qualifications we offer and call 0800 101 901 or request a
copy of our information pack.
 What are the top ten skills that
employers want?

Based on a number of surveys on the skills required by graduates

undertaken by Microsoft, Target Jobs, the BBC, Prospects, NACE and AGR
and other organisations, here is our summary of the skills which were most
often deemed important.

VERBAL 1 Able to express your ideas clearly and confidently

COMMUNICATION in speech

TEAMWORK 2 Work confidently within a group

COMMERCIAL 3 Understand the commercial realities affecting

AWARENESS the organisation.

ANALYSING & 4 Gather information systematically to establish

INVESTIGATING facts & principles. Problem solving.
INITIATIVE/SELF 5 Able to act on initiative, identify opportunities &
MOTIVATION proactive in putting forward ideas & solutions

DRIVE 6 Determination to get things done. Make things

happen & constantly looking for better ways of
doing things.

WRITTEN 7 Able to express yourself clearly in writing

COMMUNICATION
PLANNING & 8 Able to plan activities & carry them through
ORGANISING effectively

FLEXIBILITY 9 Adapt successfully to changing situations &

environments
TIME MANAGEMENT 10 Manage time effectively, prioritising tasks and
able to work to deadlines.
Other skills that were also seen as important
GLOBAL SKILLS Able to speak and understand other languages.
Appreciation of other cultures. See

 Study and work placements outside the UK

 Working Abroad

NEGOTIATING & Able to influence and convince others, to discuss

PERSUADING and reach agreement.

LEADERSHIP Able to motivate and direct others

NUMERACY Multiply & divide accurately, calculate

percentages, use statistics & a calculator,
interpret graphs & tables.
COMPUTING SKILLS Word-processing, using databases, spreadsheets,
the Internet & email, designing web pages etc.

SELF AWARENESS Awareness of achievements, abilities, values &

weaknesses & what you want out of life.

PERSONAL Presents a strong, professional, positive

IMPACT/CONFIDENCE image to others which inspires confidence &
commands respect.
LIFELONG LEARNING Continues to learn throughout life. Develops the
competencies needed for current & future roles

STRESS TOLERANCE Maintains effective performance under pressure

INTEGRITY Adheres to standards & procedures, maintains

confidentiality and questions inappropriate
behaviour.

INDEPENDENCE Accepts responsibility for views & actions and able

to work under their own direction & initiative.

DEVELOPING Pays care & attention to quality in all their work.

PROFESSIONALISM Supports & empowers others.
 ACTION PLANNING Able to decide what steps are needed to achieve
particular goals and then implement these.

DECISION-MAKING Determines the best course of action. Evaluates

options based on logic & fact & presents solutions

INTERPERSONAL Recognises & respects different perspectives.

SENSITIVITY Open to the ideas & views of others

CREATIVITY Generates & applying new ideas & solutions

The most important skills to develop in employees to drive company

growth over the next five years were (according to the Flux Report by Right
Management):

 Leadership skills 62%

 Management skills 62%
 Interpersonal skills 53%
 Innovation and creativity 45%
 Resilience 43%
 Technical/specialist skills 40%
 IT skills 40%
 Sales/marketing skills 32%
 Client management skills 24%
 Other/none of the above 4%
 Examples of Attributes
Positive Attributes
 Achiever
 Active
 Adaptable
 Ambitious
 Balanced
 Candid
 Cheerful
 Communicative
 Compassionate
 Competitive
 Consistent
 Cooperative
 Courageous
 Curious
 Devoted
 Diplomatic
 Easy going
 Emotional
 Enterprising
 Enthusiastic
 Entrepreneurial
 Exciting
 Facilitator
 Fast
 Flexible
 Focused
 Forgiving
 Generous
 Genuine
 Good listener
 Helpful
 Imaginative
 Incredible
 Independent
 Industrious
 Initiator
 Insightful
 Interesting
 Inventive
 Knowledgeable
 Leader
 Literate
 Logical
 Meditative
 Mediator
 Modest
 Open Minded
 Organized
 Original
 Outgoing
 Particular
 Patient
 Perceptive
 Personable
 Persuasive
 Pleasant
 Political
 Positive
 Powerful
 Practical
 Proactive
 Productive
 Professional
 Quality
 Quick
 Quirky
 Quixotic
 Racy
 Rebellious
 Responsible
 Results-driven
 Results-oriented
 Self-reliant
 Sense of Humor
 Sensible
 Sensitive
 Sensuous
 Sincere
 Skilled
 Social Consciousness
 Solid
 Sporty
 Thoughtful
 Trustworthy
 Understanding
 Warm
 Wise

Negative Attributes
 Aggressive
 Aloof
 Arrogant
 Belligerent
 Big-headed
 Bitchy
 Boastful
 Bone-idle
 Boring
 Bossy
 Callous
 Cantankerous
 Careless
 Changeable
 Clinging
 Compulsive
 Conservative
 Cowardly
 Cruel
 Cunning
 Cynical
 Deceitful
 Detached
 Dishonest
 Dogmatic
 Domineering
 Finicky
 Flirtatious
 Foolish
 Foolhardy
 Fussy
 Greedy
 Grumpy
 Gullible
 Garish
 Impatient
 Impolite
 Impulsive
 Inconsiderate
 Inconsistent
 Indecisive
 Indiscreet
 Inflexible
 Interfering
 Intolerant
 Irresponsible
 Jealous
 Lazy
 Machiavellian
 Materialistic
 Mean
 Miserly
 Moody
 Narrow-minded
 Nasty
 Naughty
 Nervous
 Obsessive
 Obstinate
 Overcritical
 Overemotional
 Parsimonious
 Patronizing
 Perverse
 Pessimistic
 Pompous
 Possessive
 Pusillanimous
 Quarrelsome
 Quick-tempered
 Resentful
 Rude
 Ruthless
 Sarcastic
 Secretive
 Selfish
 Self-centered
 Self-indulgent
 Silly
 Sneaky
 Stingy
 Stubborn
 Stupid
 Superficial
 Tactless
 Timid
 Touchy
 Thoughtless
 Truculent
 Unkind
 Unpredictable
 Unreliable
 Untidy
 Untrustworthy
 Vague
 Vain
 Vengeful
 Vulgar
 Weak-willed
 Professional Attributes
 Accountable
 Acknowledges communications
 Adaptable
 Admits when he/she is wrong
 Authentic
 Bears responsibility
 Believes that family is important
 Believes that health is important
 Believes that time to relax is important
 Believes that time to think is important
 Broadminded
 Caring
 Carries business cards to use for networking
 Collaborates
 Commitment to excellence
 Communicates well
 Consistent
 Courteous
 Credible
 Decisive
 Dependable
 Determined
 Diligent
 Disciplined
 Displays integrity and a high ethical standard
 Doesn’t gossip
 Doesn’t hold grudges
 Doesn’t let things slip through the cracks
 Doesn’t make excuses
 Delivers above and beyond what people expect
 Effective
 Efficient
 Empathetic
 Engaging
 Enthusiastic
 Evolving
 Excels in their line of work
 Exercises self-control
 Focused
 Forgiving
 Generous
 Gets along with people
 Gets the job done
 Gives credit where credit is due
 Go-getter
 Goal-setter
 Good at working in a team
 Good interpersonal skills
 Hard worker
 Has a personal mission statement
 Has a 30-second explanation of what they do (often called an "elevator speech")
 Has conviction
 Hears all sides
 Helps others with their problems
 Helps others to succeed
 Highly committed
 Humble
 Innovative
 Interested in others
 Is a person of their word
 Kind
 Learns from mistakes
 Listens well
 Looks at obstacles as challenges
 Loyal
 Maintains gains while being proactive
 Makes the best of situations
 Manages stress
 Methodical
 Motivated
 Networks well
 Nonjudgmental
 Not afraid to fail
 Not manipulative
 Not satisfied with mediocrity
 Objective
 Open to new ways of doing things
 Organized
 Passionate
 Patient
 Perseverant
 Planner
 Positive attitude
 Precise
 Proactive
 Realistic
 Relates well to others
 Respectful
 Scheduled
 Scrupulous
 Seeks improvement
 Selfless
 Sharp spiritually
 Shows appreciation and expresses thanks
 Sincere
 Stays abreast of new developments
 Studious
 Takes responsibility
 Teachable
 Thinker
 Time management skills
 Transparent
 Tries to do more with less
 Trustworthy
 Truthful
 Upright
 Values others
 Willing to change
 Willing to take necessary risks
 Willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done