We’ve all heard the horror stories of unemployed people sending out hundreds of job applications into a void with barely a response, much less an interview.
Recent job indicators suggest this is shaping up to be one of the most challenging job markets for new college graduates in recent memory, with AI and shifting workforce priorities creating an uncertain landscape for young people entering the workforce.
After 25 years of working with thousands of students and recent college graduates, and interviewing young adults for my book, “Getting In Is Not: Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades, Test Scores, and College Admission,” I learned a hard truth: We’ve focused on the wrong metrics for “success” in school and in the workforce.
There is a disconnect between the skills needed to help people thrive in a rapidly changing workforce and the ones that high schools and colleges measure. And, the skills employers need are not the ones most job seekers think to develop or highlight in their job search.
Here are four undervalued skills that are often overlooked, yet remain critical for landing a job and for keeping one.
A ‘get it done’ attitude
Former President Obama said it plainly in a 2023 interview: Being a person known for getting things done is powerful.
So many young adults today are worried about getting the wrong answer or doing something incorrectly that they fail to develop the “can-do” approach needed to take on a project and see it through completion, no matter the obstacle.
Employers value those whom they can count on to be solutions-oriented, and they want to see this demonstrated in interviews and early job tasks.
Adaptability
I worked with a recent college grad who became genuinely distressed when her new employer wouldn’t hand her a weekly task list every Monday morning. She wanted to schedule her week around preset assignments and would become frustrated if priorities later shifted or new information meant a project was headed in a new direction.
In school, she had been rewarded for her rigidity, especially when it meant following directions and checking off predetermined boxes.
But in the workplace, priorities can shift, projects can change direction, and adaptability signals to employers an ability to think on your feet and respond constructively.
Responsiveness and follow-through
A television producer recently lamented to me that her biggest challenge with recent hires was that many didn’t understand the difference between urgent, important, and can-wait.
As a result, a time-sensitive email would sit unanswered. That might not seem very important, but in the job hiring process, it might mean that by the time the candidate responds, the opportunity is gone.
I worked with one recent grad who wanted to make a career pivot into sports data analytics. To break into this very different field, he committed to applying to 10 job postings per day with a targeted approach and to telling everyone in his network what he was looking for. When his job ultimately came through through one of those personalized job submissions, the hiring process moved fast. He got the job in part because he was responsive and followed through at every step.
Self-direction
Employers are looking for people who can self-motivate. They arrive prepared and ask reflective questions. The candidates and early-career hires who stand out are the ones who bring a can-do attitude, are solutions-oriented, and demonstrate the responsiveness necessary to navigate and manage different assignments.
These four skills can’t be outsourced, and the candidates who land a job (and who thrive once they do!) are the ones who lead with these skills — both in how they search for employment and in how they show up to the job.
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