Listed below are some of the most commonly used words and phrases used by UK employers to describe the type of skills and qualities they look for in a person when choosing to recruit.
- Organised
This is a very frequently used term by employers in job adverts. They want somebody they can throw a good deal of work at and are able to prioritise. A CV emphasising that you are used to working hard and are capable of managing your own workload is a good move here. - Motivated
Demonstrating initiative and the ability to work act on own initiative, identifying opportunities and putting forward ideas & solutions. - Communication Skills
This skill can mean various things to different employers. In some roles, it may refer to the ability to confidently carry out presentations to large groups of people which could actually be otherwise referred to as “Social Skills” or “Confidence”. Generally though, employers are hoping to find someone who is able to both speak and write clearly and accurately. - Qualified
This one is pretty straight-forward. Of course, there are roles in which being “qualified” is a matter of opinion. For example, when there isn’t a recognised certificate in your line of work. - Flexible
Flexibility is showing willingness to do things outside of your sole job description or level of competence, either up or down and being adaptable to changing situations & environments. A good way to demonstrate flexibility is to give evidence or examples of how you have worked that way in previous roles on your CV. - Committed
Employers want to employ someone they can rely on to be there to do the job every day as required and who will stay for a while rather than just using the role as a stepping stone elsewhere. - Passionate
Employees want someone who actually wants to come to work every day and who enjoys what they do. Without passion, employees won’t work to their full ability and will rather only utilise a fraction of their intelligence and capabilities. - Resilient
The ability to cope with setbacks or failures and get right back up again and continue is a very attractive asset for employers. No-one is expected to be unaffected by events such as these, but demonstrating the ability to react to them positively and develop strategies to deal with them is a great skill to have.
