Based off Friday’s monthly job report, the American economy is moving in the right direction with upward signs of employment.
According to the report, 292,000 jobs were added in February alone, pacing ahead of the 190,000 new positions that economists had predicted. With the unemployment rate remaining at 4.9%, the report also shows that more than 500,000 Americans re-entered the workforce by starting to look for jobs again.
As more Americans seek employment and signs of a strengthened job market continue to show, below are skills that three human resource professionals suggest all candidates have in order to stand out from the crown.
•Global Acumen: “Global acumen is one thing we look for. [It’s] the ability to manage a lot of different perspectives, have cultural dexterity, and work with people from a lot of different backgrounds.” – Rod Adams, U.S Recruitment Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
•Team Mentality: “People who are willing to perform as a team member are always in high demand because when teams work together [they] create better ideas to serve our customers.” -Yolanda Lee Conyers, VP of Worldwide HR and Chief of Diversity Officer for Lenovo.
•Dexterity in Communication: “When I say dexterity in communication it may seem easy to say one is able to talk or draft an e-mail, but so many candidates struggle with brevity and being able to synthesize their thoughts in a way that is compelling and moving.” -Torin Ellis, Diversity Recruiter and Creator of Rip the Resume.
•Analytical Thinking: “The real big piece that is becoming more and more important in the last couple of years is analytical thinking and being able to leverage complex data to create insight about what that data is telling us an dhow it impacts our clients.” -Rod Adams, U.S Recruitment Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
•Creative Problem-Solving: “Technology is cheaper and things are moving so much faster so companies need people that can get in and play multiple roles. [They] need people who can provide solutions to the equation and think outside the sandbox, line, desk, and room they’re in.” -Torin Ellis, Diversity Recruiter and Creator of Rip the Resume
•Comfort and Discomfort: “Some of the top skills employers in the tech world are looking for are people who are willing to embrace the unfamiliar and step outside of their comfort zones. Another great skill is th ecapacity and drive to continue learning and the passion to make a difference and change the world.” -Yolanda Lee Conyers, VP of Worldwide HR and Chief Diversity Officer for Lenovo.
•Ability to Lead: “We are looking for people who are curious and want to continue to learn and develop as well as develop others. We use the phrase ‘leadership at all levels’ because we expect people, whether they’re interns or associates, in some shape or form to be leaders and to coach others.” -Rod Adams, U.S Recruitment Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
•Measurable Results: “You have to be in a position to provide examples. It will not work to simply say ‘I lead my sorority or fraternity.’ If I’m your recruiter, I’m going to make you validate and share how you grew that sorority or fraternity.” -Torin Ellis, Diversity Recruiter and Creator of Rip the Resume.