What are Professional Skills?

‘Skills’ is a very broad term that can encompass all types of things that you can learn or work on. Professional skills are those related to your job or professional field. With that in mind, the more professional skills you incorporate into your job and resume will give you a greater chance of finding a new position or promotion. We’ll discuss different types of professional skills you can work on that will be beneficial to any job or profession.

Communication Skills

This is probably one of the most crucial skills you can work on that will benefit you no matter where you go professionally. Communication is the basic way information will be shared in any profession, so if your communication skills are lacking, you will most likely get passed over for opportunities and promotions.

Time Management

Time management is one of the most important professional skills you can work on. Employers want employees who maximize their work time. If you take too long on a task, or work on things out of order, it might not only mess up your work, but other coworkers’ work as well. Make sure you understand how to divide your time and get everything you need to get done, done.

Writing

Written communication is just as important, and can be argued as more important than verbal communication. Especially in today’s job world, written communication is an imperative skill to have. With many remote working positions and frequent email communication, writing skills must be kept up on, no matter what industry you are in. Writing in the professional world is much different than informal writing that most people are used to, like texting.

Even if your daily tasks don’t always involve writing, you want to be sure that you possess writing skills in case you ever do have to write. It’s always embarrassing to see a badly-written email from an adult!

Organization

This skill is important for professional work and your home life as well. If you lack organizational skills it will become very apparent to your employers very quickly. Being unable to organize and find things easily will make your work day much more difficult, and can even hinder your coworkers as well, especially if working on a team.

Teamwork

Contrary to popular belief, there is no job or position where you solely work alone. At some point you will have to contact a person, whether it’s your employer, potential customer, coworker, supplier, or someone else. Sure, you might go for periods of time without contacting someone, especially if you work remotely, but at some point you will have to work with another person. Or, if you work on a team, you already have an understanding of this. Being able to collaborate, discuss, and solve problems with another person is crucial no matter what industry you work in.

Problem Solving

One of the professional skills that are often overlooked is problem solving. This professional skill can be utilized in every workplace, no matter the industry. Problem solving takes place every day, and you probably are doing it without noticing. Any time you have to make a decision, you are problem solving. This becomes especially important in the workplace, because if you are unable to solve a problem or know where to find help with the problem, it will cause hold-ups in the workplace that slow everything down.

VOC Work Tips

VOC Associates knows the importance of skills in the workplace. We’ve compiled a collection of resources that can help you develop professionally and gain more opportunities in the workplace. Visit our website or call (216) 284-4492 today!