Finding the right people to slot into your business can be a challenging experience as an employer, especially as interviews can always bring an array of emotions out in job applicants. But picking the brains of bosses, CV-Library, the online job board, has produced the findings of a study specifying the key skills they desire in their candidates.
From its survey of 300 UK employers, CV-Library found that adaptability was the skill employers were most eager for staff to have at 71.5%. Following that, 57.5% said they wanted their applicants to be resilient and 39.7% wanted them to possess the willingness to upskill. Moving on to less significant but still desired skills, 29% want to see the ability to balance work and personal lives while just 16.4% looked for networking experience.
It’s not all take either as 89.3% of employers said they play an active role in helping staff learn new skills, seemingly recognising the competitive nature of hiring. The top reasons for this included 67.4% looking to help develop their employees’ progression, 63.3% hoped to retain strong staff and 53.5% wanted to build an internal pipeline of rising talent.
Commenting on the survey, Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, said: “The world of work is constantly changing, influenced by a range of factors; from technological advances and rapidly evolving jobs, to a change in employee expectations and a rise in remote working. As human beings, it’s natural to want to feel as if we are developing in our careers and learning new skills is a huge part of this. This means employers must invest in boosting skills within their workplace: whether that’s through internal or external training, or investing in new technologies.”
It’s easy to see why employers are putting emphasis on specific work skills. With more stress placed on companies and their staff, employers are looking for the best to handle the pressures of everyday working life and appear to be giving them a helping hand to do so. 
