Employability skills

I use the term skills in a very broad way, not just adhering to the actual definition of it. By skills, I mean the competencies a person must exhibit or possess. What factors most in today's job market?

1. Language proficiency
2. Technical expertise
3. Stress resilience
4. Emotional intelligence
5. Developing contacts

Language proficiency is a must. Language is only a medium for communication, but poor language offends many people. It may also make your statements ambiguous. Poor language is a deterrent for advancement in any career.

Technical expertise is obviously necessary. It is the reason for your employment. Technical expertise is your expertise in your chosen field, be it engineering or consulting or training. Caveat: Improvement in this competence alone does not ensure a promotion or better career opportunities.

Stress is a part of every job these days. People who are unable to handle stress lose focus and waste time in non-productive activities. Stress resilience, or a resistance to stress, is therefore a much desired quality, particularly in a dynamically changing job environment.

Emotional intelligence, an emerging concept, is defined by wiki as an ability, capacity, skill or a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess and manage the emotions of one's self, of others and of groups. It is more well-known as soft skills, communication skills, aptitude, leadership qualities etc. The importance of EI is just getting established.

Developing business contacts is important to your career. With the current trend of downsizing here to stay, getting job offers depends on the goodwill and trust you build with your associates. It's not what you know, its who you know. Although that may be an exaggeration, without the right contacts, even with technical expertise, it may be difficult to land a job. When it comes to entrepreneurs, freelancers and consultants, it is even more important.

Above all, you need luck. Luck is generally on the side of those who have done something to deserve it.