Has the coronavirus pandemic affected hiring decisions and recruitment?
Possessing exactly what skills will help you land a job offer as a leader, regardless of the current lockdown situation?
Let’s find out.
In order to thrive in today’s corporate world, having the right attitude is a must.
Most jobs entail a delicate combination of skills.
Yet the most sought-after employees are the ones with bolstered qualifications portraying leadership skills.
Whether you are a C-suite Executive, a data scientist, an aerospace engineer, a sales manager, or a marketing intern, having highly coveted good qualities will surely get those eyeballs rolling on your CV.
In case you were already job hunting or you got laid off recently because of the coronavirus pandemic, please keep networking and applying.
Also, try to change your approach a little and acknowledge the fact that you need to work on your leadership skills.
In this blog, we have enlisted some highly recommended leadership skills for you, as suggested by Career Coaches and Hiring Managers alike.
Leadership itself, as a skill
Leadership is the most indispensable of all skills. It is not just for C-level executives, but for everyone who jointly constitutes a firm’s workforce.
The type of leadership portrayed by you in a company also matters.
While some people can be “inspirational leaders,” others portray “leadership in a non-authoritarian manner”.
For instance, a CEO can be a “Visionary leader” when his or her company is on a new growth path or is adopting a new strategy.
Similarly, an intern can show “take-charge” leadership while a manager can inculcate “leadership balanced with authenticity, respect for others, and trust building”.
Senior executives can choose to adopt “strategic leadership” while “ethical leadership” is for everyone in an organization.
Have you discovered your style of leadership yet? To be a leader, you must develop a vision.
And to have a vision, you should start asking all the right questions.
Start your leadership skill development journey with these interesting certification courses on leadership available on Naukri Learning.
Strategic foresight as a skill
As self-explanatory as it can get, strategic thinking and execution is all about having the ability to define a direction for business.
Strategic thinking is also the ability to execute that vision and achieve the final goal.
These days, strategic thinking is a relatively new skill requirement for not only functional C-level executives, but also for freshers and mid-level professionals.
Improve your strategic thinking skills by changing your mindset and being proactive.
Make it a habit to observe data and seek trends for a solid understanding of the industry context and business drivers.
Technical acumen and technology as a skill
Technical expertise has always been the paramount skill in demand.
Even today, it is one of the most frequently sought after talents for becoming a C-level executive or a leader.
In order to be a leader at any level, you must be deeply familiar with a particular body of knowledge under your auspices.
Be it coding, law, financials, or any other technology.
Your in-depth knowledge will always set you apart in the eyes of the recruiter.
Other skills like financial acumen and industry-specific content knowledge are constantly becoming prominent too.
If you have your technical knowledge and skills sorted, your candidature is sealed in the recruiter’s eye.
Kindly do not mix up technology skills with technical literacy.
You don’t just need to know how technology is impacting your organization or industry but also possess the acumen to exploit it in the best possible manner.
Empathy for team as a skill
Many recruiters and recruitment consultants emphasize on team-related skills.
Understandably, building and leading teams and working collegially is a must-have skill in the current world.
As a leader, you must be able to hire and develop an outstandingly strong team of upcoming leaders!
After all, it is tough to survive as a brilliant one-person player in the long run.
Also, the more interested you are in developing your team, the better.
Today’s executives are not expected to sit behind closed doors.
They are more likely to be team-oriented, to be capable of multitasking and adept at fighting stress.
They should also ensure no burnout among subordinates and also do all of that with a beaming smile!
Communication and presentation as skills
Once all your above skills are sorted, please start working on your power of persuasion.
Your excellent presentation skills will always be a proof of your intellectual capability to interact with a wide variety of stakeholders.
In order to do so, you must learn the art of speaking convincingly to all types of people, which includes the likes of knowledgeable and unsophisticated, friendly and skeptical as well as internal and external stakeholders.
You should also be able to receive feedback and synthesize information accordingly on the spot!
Now is the time to become "board-ready"!
Start working on your mental deftness and stylistic versatility with this course on communication and presentation skills on Naukri Learning.
Integrity and honesty as skills
Ethical conduct is less about your skill sets and more about your personal demeanor.
If you portray integrity and ethical behavior at work and also in your personal life on a daily basis, you are sorted! No crash course can teach you to be honest and ethical.
These “skills” can only come naturally to you.
Now that you have read the entire blog, you know what leadership skills and traits companies prize most.
It does not matter whether you are a C-suite executive or an intern.
Start acting on these pointers, develop the right attitude and seal the deal assertively in your next job interview.
All the best!
