Checking off all the requirements in a job description isn’t enough to land a new position right away: your potential new boss wants to see that you’re disciplined, reliable, and care about your work.
“Strong work ethic” is the top skill companies look for in new hires, but it’s one of the hardest to find, according to a new study from ADP.
As part of its research, ADP surveyed more than 1,500 business owners, senior executives and hiring managers about their 2024 recruiting plans and priorities.
ADP asked small, medium and large companies what skills they prioritize most among new hires. Even as discussions about the importance of technical upskilling reach a fever pitch, soft skills have emerged as the clear winner.
“A strong work ethic” is a nebulous term. But the people who embody it are generally punctual, organized, efficient with their time and, above all, willing to go the extra mile to do the job well, according to ADP research.
Other soft skills employers look for include problem solving, time management and communication.
Managers surveyed by ADP said these sought-after skills are among the hardest to find in candidates, noting that a strong work ethic and good time management are particularly rare.
If a new hire has these skills, “their potential and opportunities are limitless,” Tina Wang, vice president of HR at ADP, told CNBC Make It. “You can teach the specific technical skills needed for a job, but if a new hire comes in from day one with some of those behavioral skills, teaching those technical skills becomes much easier, more effective and more successful.”
Businesses see upskilling as antidote to ‘great resignation’
Upskilling and reskilling, or teaching employees new skills so they can move to another job or expand their current responsibilities, have become “top priorities” for companies over the past year, notes Wang.
Companies began prioritizing job training in the wake of the “great resignation” when millions of people left their jobs, leaving employers searching for talent, she explains.
Other recruiting experts agree. “Following the surge in hiring that companies experienced after 2020 and fear of losing workers in the ‘great resignation’ of 2021, hiring mistakes were made,” says Bert Bean, CEO of the hiring company. Insight Global recruitment. “Focusing on good old hard work as a starting point is the best place to start to reset an employee base.”
Building a deeper, stronger talent pipeline becomes “much more scalable and fluid” when you have employees who can effectively solve problems and have a strong work ethic. That’s why these soft skills are in such high demand, Wang adds.
Some 85% of adults worldwide believe upskilling and reskilling will become the new norm for people throughout their careers, according to a new survey of more than 17,000 people in 17 countries by The Harris Poll for the account of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private testing and talent solutions organization.
As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into the workforce, soft skills, or soft skills, are invaluable assets for professionals, the report notes. Other research shares the same sentiment: in February, LinkedIn declared communication as the most in-demand skill (hard and soft included) for 2024.
How to use your soft skills to stand out in a job interview
Highlighting your soft skills can give you a competitive advantage during an interview.
“Communication and interpersonal skills can become evident within the first 5 to 10 minutes of an interview,” says Wang. “Be yourself, be confident in your life experiences, and those intangibles will become evident to employers who can connect the work they need to what you bring.”
To demonstrate a strong work ethic, Bean recommends finding time in the conversation to talk about the hardest job you’ve ever had, perhaps when the interviewer asks about your strengths or how you overcame a challenge. challenge at work.
“Paint the picture of what you had to do each day and describe how, when (the situation or job) was finished, you knew you had strong ethics,” says Bean. “Everyone has a story to tell. Find yours, put it into practice, and tell it with passion.”
Bean emphasizes the importance of explaining your contributions in your last role and how they helped advance the company’s bottom line or bottom line. Examples like this can help illustrate your work ethic and help the hiring manager understand that “they’re not just hiring another individual contributor, but someone who understands the business and what drives value.” .
Even if you don’t have a lot of direct work experience to cite, Wang says you can reference real-world experiences where you demonstrated a strong work ethic or problem-solving, whether whether it’s a challenging group project at school or a busy shift at an after-school job.
“Ultimately, an interview is about ‘convincing,’” says Bean. “You will always have a good chance of convincing someone to make a decision – in this case, to hire you – if you can clearly articulate the value you bring to the company, if you are proud of your accomplishments, and if you show your alignment with the employer. values.”
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