And this is how you can highlight them at your next job interview.
Time management, a recent survey revealed, was a skill most parents would like to pass on to their children.
There is nothing quite like being able to manage your time well -- you accomplish more in lesser time, which from a manager's point of view means you can achieve more in the eight hours than other colleagues.
Even so, time management (among the other skills listed below) remains a skill you cannot prove you possess with a certificate or a stamp from a government-recognised institute.
Which is why it becomes all the more important to prove you have it!
Here are five skills that can land you a dream job and how you can highlight them:
1. Time management
Let's start with time management, shall we?
Carlos Slim is the world's second wealthiest person. And he believes it is possible to have a three-day work week.
The key, as you would have guessed, is efficient time management.
During a job interview, highlight your time management skills (only if you are a good time manager, that is) by highlighting specific examples -- for instance, the day you completed the project before the deadline or when you finished your tasks before others in your team.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
2. Being a team player
No one can work in a bubble.
The moment you are part of an organisation, you have to work as part of a team or work with other teams to get the job done.
So unless you are someone who lives under a rock and plans to stay there, being a good team player is a very important skill to possess.
How do you highlight it in an interview?
Remember the time you completed the task before the others in your team?
What did you do then? Did you just wander away for a smoke or did you reach out to others and help them complete their tasks?
If it's the latter, ensure you speak about it.
In any case, offering to help colleagues is a good thing... unless, of course, they are trying to abuse your niceness.
ALSO READ 10 things no one will tell you at your workplace
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
3. Efficient communication
We can't stress enough how important this is in one's career.
Everyone loves an efficient communicator.
This is also the easiest skill to prove in all interactions with prospective employers.
Ensure you've dotted all the 'i's and crossed all the 't's on your resume, you've read out all e-mails being sent out to your prospective employer twice over and then one more time before you hit the send button.
When you are at the interview, it is crucial how you field the questions thrown at you and communicate effectively just why you are the best person for the job.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
4. Adaptability
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
Being able to adapt to changing situations, changing one's approach and strategy when required are all very important skills.
It is important to highlight this skill.
Talk about your changing role in your current organisation, how it has evolved and how you have adapted to changing situations at the workplace.
Highlighting this skill means you are assuring prospective employers that should they hire you, you can adapt to change well.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
5. Leadership
Organisations are not very kicked with the idea of hiring someone who will simply follow the herd.
So if you are a leader, ensure your prospective employer knows that.
Talk about the times you went beyond your KRA and did something for the company and took charge when you saw a situation going out of control.
Remember, staging a coup against your boss *does not* make you a good leader. If anything, it is unprofessional and could get you fired.
A good leader is someone who enjoys his team's confidence and leads from the front.
If you are that person, ensure you have examples you can list during the interview.
Organisations need leaders.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
