9 Skills and Qualities that Will Make You an Asset to any Employer

1. 9 Skills and Qualities that Will Make You an Asset to any Employer Presented by: Student Circus Introduction: Stand Out in the Job Market ● The job market is highly competitive. ● How can you set yourself apart? ● By offering the exact skills and qualities employers are looking for! ● Graduate employers seek specific "so? skills" beyond job-specific abilities. ● These make you a great professional, colleague and team member. ● Showcase these in your applications, CV, cover letter, and interviews. 1. Time Management & Planning Skills ● Definition: Control and direct your schedule for optimal time utilization. ● Why it's crucial: ○ Limited time, wise allocation across tasks, meetings, upskilling. ○ Working on strict deadlines, delivering quality work fast. ● Complementary Skill: Planning – laying out tasks, creating plans to facilitate the timely delivery of your work while accounting for unforeseen circumstances as buffer time. ● Strategy: Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent-Important Matrix) ○ Do First: Urgent & Important ○ Schedule: Important, Not Urgent ○ Delegate: Urgent, Not Important ○ Don't Do: Not Urgent & Not Important 2. Commercial Awareness ● Definition: Understanding the business, organization, and its operating environment. ● Key Aspects: ○ Knowledge about the company’s products and services. ○ Knowledge about the competitors and other players in the sector or industry. ○ Understanding the economy and policy in general. ● Benefits: ○ Contribute better to the organization’s plans and strategies. ○ Improves decision-making. ○ Boosts your effective contribution to the team. ● Frameworks:

2. ○ SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats ○ PESTLE Framework: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental 3. Communication Skills: Writing, Listening, Speaking ● Importance: Most treasured skill, both in professional and personal spheres of life. ● Benefits: Clarity leads to better work, better outcomes, better productivity, and better results. ● Key Areas: ○ Listening & Speaking: Meetings and brainstorming sessions. ○ Written Communication: Writing reports, taking meeting notes, writing briefs, etc. (especially in hybrid and remote teams). ● Other Essential Communication Skills: ○ Presentation Skills: Pitching a proposal or making a presentation report. ○ Negotiation Skills: Bargaining for better deals (financial or non-financial). ○ Con?ict Resolution Skills: Maturely acknowledging differences and finding solutions. 4. Financial Management & Budgeting ● Business Necessity: All businesses and organizations need to make money to survive. ● Project Budgets: Staying on budget, allocating wisely, reaching goals, and potentially outperforming them. ● Individual Level: ○ Procuring raw materials at competitive prices. ○ Finding creative alternatives to costly purchases. ○ Negotiating a better deal with vendors. ● Practice as a Student: Budgeting as an international student, fundraising for a charity, or working for a student society. ● Transferable & Valuable: Highly transferable and valuable in the workplace. 5. Quantitative Analysis ● Relevance: Even the most fundamental roles require a certain level of comfort with quantitative analysis. ● Common Tool: Spreadsheets (e.g., Microso? Excel). ● Upskilling: Plenty of free training videos online on YouTube or on Microso?’s own website.

3. ● Benefit: Mastering Excel can be a great skill in your toolkit! 6. Adaptability ● Post-Pandemic Criticality: Ability to handle change and make adjustments quickly so that the goals don’t suffer. ● Key Trait: Openness and flexibility about the challenges and solutions to novel problems. ● Why it's important: ○ Ever-changing business environment (new competitors, supply chain disruptions). ○ Employees who are amenable and flexible become critical for businesses. ● Growth Opportunity: Hones leadership skills, making you a good candidate for future opportunities. 7. Creative Problem-Solving ● Employer Preference: Highly preferred as a candidate. ● Demonstrates: Quick action in the face of challenges, devising strategies to overcome them instead of complaining. ● Value Addition: Simple but creative solutions can be game-changing in adding value to the team effort. ● Showcase: Be able to showcase your creative problem-solving. 8. Teamwork & Empathy ● Workplace Reality: You will be working as a part of many teams. ● Teamwork Qualities: Being helpful, collaborative and proactive. ● Benefits of Teamwork: Helps you connect with your colleagues and team members. ● Empathy: ○ Definition: The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference. ○ Workplace Benefit: Helps create a safe environment for team members to take risks, make mistakes and learn by doing. 9. Leadership Skills ● Early Career Relevance: Even in an entry-level role, you can get the chance to lead on projects, specific client assignments, or smaller teams. ● Opportunities: Take initiative, inspire others to take action, and be proactive. ● How to Demonstrate: Show you care about meeting organizational goals and are ready to go the extra mile.

4. ● Impact: Makes you a good candidate for future opportunities. Conclusion: Become an Indispensable Asset! ● Developing these 9 skills and qualities will signi?cantly enhance your value to any employer. ● Focus on showcasing evidence of these abilities throughout your job application process and career. ● Continuous learning and application of these skills will set you up for success!