Do You Have These Underrated Career Skills?

There are some obvious career skills out there. “The ability to take orders” is what will do for many employers. But if you really want to get ahead in the career game, these are the skills that can make you stand out. You may not think they’re necessary – but you may be wrong.

Conversation starter

People often say that we’ve lost our ability to talk to each other. The things that are usually blamed are mobile phones and social media – paradoxically, the things we use to communicate. But this has never actually proven to be true. Nonetheless, many people do underestimate the power of someone who can create conversation with ease. It’s a great business skill. You’ll probably have to talk to customers, employees, or employers. Maybe all three.

Eye for design

You may not think your job involves much design. Maybe it’s not very graphical. But you don’t have to work in websites, architecture, or illustration to find an eye for design useful! If you’re in a room full of people who have no design experience, and you all have to create something as part of the job? Then you can make a great contribution. This skill, for example, can help you come up with a great design for logos and work uniforms. Send a design to uniform rental companies and your contribution will be worn by all!

Handling the haters

In most areas of life, you’re going to meet people who disagree with you. If you’re really unfortunate, you’ll meet people who hate you. It could be an envious colleague, or a disgruntled customer. Whatever the case, handling the haters is a surprisingly useful career skill.

Speaking to a lot of people

No, this isn’t the same as the ‘conversation starter’ section. When I say a lot of people, I don’t mean sequentially. I mean all at once. Public speaking isn’t something that most people anticipate when it comes to a new career. But it’s not just politicians and spokespersons who find this skill handy. The ability to talk to several people at once without suffering from stage fright will really help you stand out from the crowd.

Writing well

Never underestimate the ability to write well in any professional field. This may strike you as obvious if you’re looking at an office job. But I’ve worked in my fair share of offices, and let me tell you: not all the employees are particularly eloquent here! I’m not talking about the ability to write thousands of words about a particular point. On the contrary: writing concisely and to the point will help you to no end, even if you think the job won’t involve writing. After all, a well-written cover letter can help land you most jobs!

Taking criticism

Any good employer will provide their employees with feedback. And I’m sure that if you’re dealing with the general public that they’ll be happy to let you know how they feel about you! You need to learn how to take criticism. Criticism, ultimately, can help you improve your performance. A lack of it can lead to undisciplined work behavior and discontent. So an ability to take negative feedback on board and improve yourself should never be underestimated.

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