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What are skills that are necessary but often neglected?

I'm a high school student going into college. I've heard that a lot of important skills are neglected to be taught to be taught in school that are invaluable in any job, like presentation skills. #student #personal-development #skills

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Casey’s Answer

Especially as the world becomes more automated, personable skills such as communication and community-building will become invaluable. Anyone who can connect with others on an individual level is demonstrating an increasingly rare skill. These skills will help you build a strong network (both personally and professionally) of people who will support and advocate for you. Prioritize meeting new people, solidifying existing friendships, and developing relationships. Don't be afraid to reach out to a professional in a field/career in which you are interested to learn more about their experience (and don't forget to send a thank you notes or email if they take time to speak with you!).
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Antoinette’s Answer

Hi Aaron! Skills that are seen as "soft skills" are most likely to be neglected in building your professional portfolio, but as an HR professional I have seen countless examples of employees and even leaders with exceptional technical or professional skills whose downfall is caused by a deficit in so-called soft skills such as communication, coalition building, and adaptability. Being aware of and honing your emotional intelligence will increase your skill in many of these areas; there is a ton of writing online about emotional intelligence and its importance in helping people to understand themselves and better relate to others. I would recommend starting there!
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Vaibhav’s Answer

Below soft skills are important which are generally get ignored during school days :

1) Flexibility: In todays age any job you take it has high demand for employees who are flexible as per job situations.
2) Problem Solving Skills
3) Teamplayer
4) Interpersonal Skills
5) Following work ethics
Thank you comment icon Great answer! Aliya Desir
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Kayla’s Answer

Hi Aaron!

That is a great question! I completely agree with many of the folks above. If it had to be narrowed down to one thing, I would say it all boils down to soft skills. Soft skills are the interpersonal skills that are not traditionally taught, while hard skills are your technical ability to do something. A college degree is a measure of your hard skills; it says you have passed all of the necessary courses in order for you to be an expert in your field of study. Your hard skills (college degree, resume, experience, etc.) will get you opportunities, but your soft skills (communication, work ethic, problem solving, etc.) will get you a lifelong career.

We live in a time where many people have access to learn a technical skill, whether that be in school or from a YouTube video. However, not everyone has the emotional/interpersonal skills to carry them through. An example of this may be an entrepreneur who wants to sell a product. They have the means and ability to make the product, but if they don't have the ability to lead a team, verbal and non-verbal communication skills to talk to clients and investors, or work ethic to see it through, they will not succeed. Studies have shown 75%-80% of long term job success resulted from soft skills and only 20%-25% from hard skills.

I would highly recommend spending some time working on fine tuning your soft skills to secure a solid job.

- Communication: writing, active listening, understanding, advocating, presenting, posture, eye contact
- Problem Solving: identifying, researching, analyzing, decision making, logic
- Leadership: decisiveness, persuasion, relationship building, innovation, dependability, mentoring
- Teamwork: collaboration, partnership, constructive feedback, accept criticism
- Emotional Intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social awareness
- Adaptability: willingness, flexibility, curiosity, optimistic, foreshadow needs
- Work Ethic: dedication, accountability, productivity, efficiency, punctuality, enthusiastic
- Professionalism: courteous, respectful, well dressed, poised, level headed
- Responsibility: accountable, reliable, resourceful, disciplined, conscientious
- Integrity: honesty, ethical, moral, gracious, helpful, patient
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Jamie’s Answer

Problem Solving Skills are Key. Being able to find answers on your own without having others walk you through something they have access to is an important skill.

I also believe a highly organized individual is a very good quality.

Being able to communicate well with others is also a valuable skill to have.
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Michael’s Answer

The most basic skill to develop that will lead to career success is the ability to listen. Whether you are a young person just getting started in your career or an established leader in a career field, the ability to listen will allow you to more effectively respond to the concerns of your clients and colleagues.
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Aliya’s Answer

This article from Succesful Student.org provides great sugeaation. Even though it is not fully for work the skills are interchangeable.

https://successfulstudent.org/20-life-skills-not-taught-in-school/
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Zachary’s Answer

I am going to also say soft skills. But understanding Credit! Time management. whatever way you can continue to fuel or to spark a desire to learn!

https://blog.futurefocusedlearning.net/7-life-skills-beyond-school

here's another list, I think its important to remember that you job is part of your life and you live both so there is a lot of overlap. But I would also suggest setting healthy boundaries, learning your limitations, saying no, collaborating mentor mentee relationships for growth/ being your own advocate .
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Colin’s Answer

The World Economic Forum has published a good list on what it considers are some of the key skills for the future
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/
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Karl’s Answer

Financial skills are very important. Learning to save and invest for the future.
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Spenser’s Answer

Sales and Marketing
Thank you comment icon Hi Spenser, why would you argue that sales and marketing are necessary skills? Gurpreet Lally, Admin
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CARLA’s Answer

Hell, I think skills in communications and critical thinking are skills that are necessary in any job market.
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Andrew’s Answer

I think there's two keys to career success - perseverance and conscientiousness. Find a job in a career path you like and enjoy doing. You'll find it easier to stick at when the problems are difficult and you'll get more done and be less tempted by distractions.
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Carolyn’s Answer

Hi Aaron,

I think that one of the most important skills to learn that are neglected in schools is communication. Specifically, writing an email. I know that it may sound insignificant but in the professional world, a well-written email means everything. Email is one of the most utilized ways of communicating in the professional world so it is important to have good email etiquette. This is important because your email might be the first impression of you to someone else and if you are not presenting yourself well in an email, the other person might pass a quick judgment on you and either not respond, or think negatively of you. So just make sure you know how to write a professional email because I think that is one of the most important things to know.
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Diana’s Answer

Communication - Written and verbal communication skills are critical to getting your points across and growing in your career. Practice writing in as many forms as you can (more formal emails, longer documents, project plans, stories) and presenting your work.

Building alignment - Few things at work get done without a team behind it. You need to be able to build alignment around your ideas and how you're going to approach tackling your goals with a big team.

Advocating for a cause - You'll find yourself in many situations where you need to advocate for your point of view (maybe it differs from your what your boss thinks), for your work (how do you make sure that everyone knows what you're working on and its value?), and for your customers (how can you make sure they are getting the best service?).

Taking accountability - The best leaders take accountability when things don't go as expected. In business, this could mean missing a goal or a deadline, shipping a product with a flaw or bug, or mishandling a customer situation. These things are totally normal and happen frequently. The best professionals and leaders take responsibility for issues, explain what they've learned, and discuss their next steps to make progress.
Thank you comment icon Great holistic answer that any person, much less a student could learn from! David Morton
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Karen’s Answer

Here are some skills that are really important in most jobs:
Active listening
Problem- solving
Initiative
Ability to learn quickly and apply what you learn to new situations
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