Find Out: 7 KEY Skills Every Employer Looks For In Fresh Graduates

By Kibet Tobias
Are you looking for an internship, but think you do not have the right skills? This happens to almost every one of us.
Truth is, there are skills that every recruitment manager looks for when hiring.
Internships can be the lowest entry level position you can land, as you climb up the career ladder. It does not require much experience, but there are some skills that most employers are looking for.

Here Are The Common Skills Fresh Graduates Should Have 

1. Leadership skills
When companies hire they look for people with qualities that will allow them to successfully interact with colleagues, clients, and others in the workplace and beyond. People in leadership roles are required to put people first.
Employers also look for candidates who have a high degree of emotional intelligence, patience, and a working knowledge of human resources, in order to keep both the employee and the company taken care of.
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2. Communication skills
Regardless of the job you’re applying for, employers will expect you to have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Depending on the position, you will need to be able to communicate effectively with employees, managers, and customers in-person, online, in writing, and on the phone.
Your cover letter will often be the first place an employer will review your writing abilities. In addition to demonstrating your grammar skills, you will also be showing how you can compose a letter that is to the point and, hopefully, interesting to read.
3. Team work skills
Employers expect employees to be team players. Teamwork is required for almost every industry, ranging from business services to information technology to food services.
This is true even if it seems like your job is best suited for an independent worker. You may perform the bulk of your job duties alone, but you’ll still have to be able to think of your work in the context of the company’s larger goals, and communicate your accomplishments to other people at the organization.
Regardless of your role, you need to be able to work well with others.
4. Problem-solving skills
Problem solving is one of the key skills that employers seek in job applicants in every sector. It is hard to find a blue collar, administrative, managerial, or professional position that doesn’t require problem solving skills of some kind.
Look to previous roles in academic, work, or volunteer settings; for examples of challenges you met and problems you solved while carrying out each function. You can highlight relevant examples in your cover letter. You can also frame bullet points in your resume to show off how you solved a problem.
5. Analytical skills
What are analytical skills, and why are they important in the workplace? Analytical skills refer to the ability to collect and analyze information, problem-solve, and make decisions. These strengths can help solve a company’s problems, and increase and benefit a company’s productivity.
Employers look for employees with the ability to investigate a problem and find a solution in a timely, efficient manner. You should be able to who use clear, logical steps and excellent judgment to understand an issue from all angles before executing an action.
You can use these skills lists throughout your job search process.
6. Initiative
Are you someone who can work on their own and take opportunities that will benefit the employer? If you answered yes, that is initiative. It requires creative thinking, confidence and knowledge.
In an interview demonstrate this by asking well thought out questions such as “what are your expectations of me in this role”.
7. Technical skills
Technical skills are the abilities and knowledge needed to perform specific tasks. They are practical, and often relate to mechanical, information technology, mathematical, or scientific tasks. Some examples include knowledge of programming languages, mechanical equipment, or tools.
While technical skills are often most important for jobs related to information technology (IT) and other fields in the sciences, many other industries also want employees with at least some technical skills.
If you looking for internship, use the above list of skills for resumes, cover letters, job applications, and interviews where applicable. For those in internships already, implement them for your own good.
All the best!
The writer is content writer at Career Point Kenya. For any related queries contact tobias@careerpointkenya.