Are you a strong communicator? If so you may be in possession of a soft skill that employers are crying out for.
Recent research from Adzuna.co.uk discovered that when it comes to seeking out new employees, ‘Communication’ is the most sought after soft skill.
The research analysed 1.1million job adverts in the UK and looked at how frequently 50 soft skill keywords were used within job advert copy.
10.9% of all the job ads (that’s roughly about 120,000 jobs) mention ‘communication’ within the job description. Other popular soft skills include: organisation, planning skills, flexibility and motivation.
So what does that mean for your CV?
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, comments:
“For job seekers, highlighting your soft skills alongside your hard skills will put you at an advantage when attempting to impress potential future employers. Hard skills give the technical elements for proficiency in a role and assist in meeting vocational requirements, however soft skills can often be more highly regarded than ticking the boxes of certain qualifications and workplace experiences. Companies are not just looking for a candidate who can do the job, but someone who will harmonise with the business and its pre-existing staff.”
The importance of these soft skills appears to cross a variety of sectors. The research found that Accounting and Finance, Healthcare and Nursing, and Teaching industries all have particular emphasises on specific soft skills.
Communication is particularly sought-after in Accounting and Finance roles – 17% of job ads mention the term, compared to 10.9% of job ads across all industries. Additionally, 14.9% of Healthcare and Nursing jobs require ‘Flexibility’, and 13.7% of Teaching jobs mention ‘Planning’, compared to only 7.8% across UK jobs in general.
Take a look at the table above are these skills that you recognise in yourself? If they are then it might be worth thinking about how you can highlight these skills within your CV. If you are unsure about how to bring out these skills in a seamless and coherent way then get in touch and we’ll see how we can help!
Source: Adzuna.co.uk