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Is Your Skill Set in High Demand?

Ok, I lied. I didn’t post first thing yesterday morning, but I AM posting now – second thing Tuesday morning. Don’t hate me because I’m busy.

Anyway, I came across an interesting survey last week, conducted by Manpower, a global employment services company. Manpower surveyed more than 42,000 employers to find out which positions companies were having a hard time filling and why.

Employers say they’re having hard time filling open positions because they’re focusing more on just finding a competent individual to fill the job. In addition to skills that meet the job requirements, companies want someone who has soft skills, work ethic and cultural traits as well.

“Hiring managers recognize the high cost of hiring the wrong individual for their organization so they are taking more time to find the right fit, even for these hard to fill positions,” says Melanie Holmes, vice president for World of Work Solutions for Manpower North America.

What do you need to do as a job seeker in order to fill these in-demand jobs? Make sure your skill set is up to date! Re-skill and up-skill to make sure you’re meeting current workload demands and going above and beyond other candidates. The more extensive and current your skill set, ther more desirable you are as an applicant and the more your company will want to retain you.

Here are some tips on how you can keep your skill set up to par:

  • Talk with professional recruiters.
  • Join a professional association and compare its expertise to what employers are seeking. This will help keep you ahead of what is going on in your area.
  • Don’t leave out the employer – specifically ask your supervisor or manager if he or she anticipates changes on the horizon.
  • Seek out employers who believe in training.
  • Research what the community colleges and vocational schools offer.
  • Look at professional association workshops.
  • Watch for other training opportunities and seminars that might be in your community.

    • Here are the 10 hardest jobs to fill as reported by US employers, according to Manpower:

    1. Engineer
    2. Machinist/Machine operator
    3. Skilled trade
    4. Technician
    5. Sales representative
    6. Accounting and finance
    7. Mechanic
    8. Laborer
    9. Information Technology
    10. Production operator
    1 comments
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    Margaret Goedecke
    Margaret Goedecke

    Thanks for another great article. Where else could anyone get that type of info in such a perfect way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.

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