How To Close the Skills Gap

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal there was an article with this title "How to Close the Skills Gap". In it the writers, Mary Landrieu and Patty Murray (both Senators), discuss ways to address the fact that there are jobs available that people don't have the skills for and therefore, these positions go unfilled. One way that Landrieu and Murray suggest to close this gap is to fund job training programs such as the ones that are offered here through Network RI.

The skills that they are talking about are what we call the "hard skills". Those skills that you get through education and experience working in a field. Think about these skills as the basics for what you need to do in a job. These are the skills that we are working on through the Skills Tutor program. In most jobs you will be required to read certain material and understand it, communicate clearly in writing, be required to use basic math or use logical reasoning and problem solving skills. Employers need to know that their employees can do the job - have skills that are at the right level for the position.

Lately, we also hear that employers are looking for employees who have the "soft skills". Think of these as your people skills. How well do you relate to others? How well you work in a team? These are the skills that are generally not taught. An article I just read on Careerealism.com highlights the top 6 critical soft skills that employees need in this economy. These are the six skills: honesty and integrity, strong work ethic, emotional intelligence, self-motivated, high energy / positive attitude, team player.

The article suggests that you look at these six top soft skills and evaluate yourself. Once you do that, prepare to be able to discuss how you have these skills. Think about examples that show you have these very important skills. I would also add, if you don't think you have some of these skills, examine how you could practice them. Even though I said these skills are generally not taught, they CAN be learned (if you want to).