9/18/2014

Do you have employable skills?

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Sep 17 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Do you have employable

skills?
Deodutta Kurane

While the last few years' talent supply indexes seem to

suggest that India's employability potential is on the rise,
there is a paucity for talent to fill high-skilled, jobs, which
bring us to an interesting paradox. Qualified resources are
forced

to

choose

between

unemployment

and

`underemployment', as their skills don't match the market

expectations. Organisations typically look at an entre
preneurial streak, ownership, out-ofthe-box thinking, high
degree of passion, commitment and profes ment and
professional pride.They look for candidates with the right
skills, more importantly the right mindset and `can do'
attitude. Human capital is key to any organisation and to
my knowledge, some of the key `employability skills' that
employers look at are:
1. EXECUTION:
The

ability

of

the

executives

to

set

and

meet

challenging goals; self-accountability for achieving results

and finding better, faster and efficient way of doing things
are key execution traits.
2. FLEXIBILITY:
The ability of the employee to adapt to changes;
openness to new ideas; willingness to work in non-comfort
zones are traits that give exposure to a variety of jobs as
well as clarity about the area one would like to deep-dive
into as heshe moves forward.
3. CUSTOMER ORIENTATION:
The ability of the employee to focus on the needs of the
customer (internalexternal) and offer himher solutions in
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Do you have employable skills?

order to build trust and loyalty are vital. Also key are a
willingness to understand customer needs in depth; active
listening and effective communication skills.
4. CONSISTENCY:
Create a reputation for consistency and quality.Have a
plan, know where to direct actions, thoughts, effort, and
time.
5.WILLINGNESS TO LEARN:
As you progress on your journey, mentors appear,
provided we have the will to submit and learn.
6. PERSONALITY:
Exhibit a high level of energy and willingness to interact
with people.7. OWNERSHIP AND COMMITMENT: A tendency
to

show

self-discipline,

act

dutifully

and

aim

for

achievement in a planned manner are key skills. A high

level of energy and willingness to work also matter.
8. ATTITUDE:
The ability of employees to look at the actions of
colleagues,

customers,

objects,

activities,

ideas

and

anything in the environment in a positive manner and an

ability to spot opportunities, atti tude to see the positive
side of every situation and bring that to the forefront, need
to be honed.
9.WORKING IN TEAMS:
Being able to develop a positive working relationship,
encouraging involve ment; affirmative interpersonal skills
in coping with conflicts, etc are important. One needs to be
co operative to accomplish com monshared goals, treating
others

with

dignity,

respect,

maintaining

friendly

demeanour and valuing others' contributions.

10. INNOVATION:
The ability to think creatively yet critically, intu itively
yet conceptually and adopt new approaches to problemsolv ing is the need of the hour.
Organisations want executives who not only add value
but also have the skills to help transform their organisation
in

the

face

of

continuous

and

rapid

economic

and

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Do you have employable skills?

technological

change.

Candidates

may

have

the

qualifications and `hard skills', but without a wellhoned set

of `employability skills', employers might not have an incli
nation to hire.
The market is seeing an upward trend, sentiments are
positive and banks are shaking off their hiring in off their
hiring inertia.We might see a further boost in hiring from
public sector and private Indian banks as there is a need to
hire fresh talent in the wake of their expansion plans and
possible attritions.
The

author

is

group

president

human

capita

management,Yes Bank Ltd

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Do you have employable skills?

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