With 2021 at its end, 2022 is here and ready for a bright, eventful and interesting year ahead. In the business world, recruiters are going to be given a busy handful, dealing with a large number of applications throughout the entire year and especially early within the new year.

Although it is essential to understand that skills have completely been transformed and changed throughout the year 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic and an evolutionary transformation to a business world moving to a more technology-centric approach talent acquisition managers are now considering a new group of skills as a priority throughout the recruiting process.

Provided within the blog below are 11 work skills that job seekers, potential hires and those looking to develop their current work skill set to align to what skills recruiters are looking for in 2022 are specified.

Change Management

The first and perhaps the most essential skill that recruiters will look for in 2021 is change management. Change management involves one’s ability to utilise organizational tools, individual’s knowledge and self-ability to handle moments of change and challenges within the business environment being dealt with.

In the year 2021 change management was extremely essential whereby due to COVID-19 businesses had to deal with immense and continual changing environments. Likewise, recruiters will want to hire individuals that are able to deal with change effectively if something drastic was to happen again to best protect the organisation.

Planning Skills

Recruiters throughout 2022 will be looking heavily into individuals who have strong planning skills. Planning skills involves individuals being able to successfully manage a wide variety of activities utilising the resources available to achieve organisational goals through the strategies made.

Specifically, planning skills assures that individuals critically assess situations and ensure failure plans, strategic strategies and beneficial ideas are put into place to assure the long-term success of an action through the plans made. In 2022 this is a must, as recruiters seek someone who will assure, they are protecting the organisation through well thought out strategic plans which are largely successful and in turn beneficial for the business.

Communication

Throughout the years’ effective communication skills has been essential, this is still the case for recruiters in 2022. Specifically, communication skills involve how well individuals are able to convey information to other individuals working within the organisation. Furthermore, it is important that through the soft skill of communication, a corresponding skill known as interpersonal skills are being effectively utilised.

When employees communicate with one another gaining an emotional understanding of how employees respond when you talk with them is critical for successful work to be completed. Thus, a strong combination of effective communication through interpersonal work skills is an essential skill any recruiter will be looking for in 2021.

Problem Solving

Another essential skill that recruiters will look for throughout 2022 is effective problem-solving skills. Problem-solving skills involve individuals being able to solve extremely complex issues through effective strategic thought and processes.

Individuals that highlight they have effective problem-solving work skills are likely to be extremely creative and analytical. To recruiters, this is extremely essential as employees who are able to solve immense problems effectively are extremely cost beneficial for the business.

Adaptability

A largely sought out skill in 2021 that recruiters will constantly look for is adaptability. Specifically, adaptability involves employees assuring that they are resilient, flexible and further strong enough to deal with problems, situations and tasks at hand no matter the difficulty. This is essential as employees who are able to adapt to difficult situations are likely to be the most beneficial to any organisation.

Likewise, recruiters will definitely seek employees that highlight their overall adaptability skills and provide real examples of cases especially throughout 2020 where they have adapted to unforeseen difficult circumstances. One example could be how employees were able to work extremely effectively whilst working from home to successfully assure team success and likewise operational success for the business.

Critical Thinking

Another extremely essential skill that recruiters will look for in 2022 is critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is extremely important to recruiters as it highlights how prospective employees are able to show their creative thinking and analytical thinking to best formulate solutions to problems and issues faced within the business.

Likewise, in 2020 critical thinking was essential throughout COVID-19 in handling a mixture of unforeseen circumstances which was essential, in turn, critical thinking in the coming years will be a key to handling future difficult situations and thus becomes a priority to any recruiter.

Technical Skills

Essential to any organisation and key to any recruiter in 2022 is technical skills. Specifically, technical skills encompass an individual’s ability to handle all tasks relevant to their field with the knowledge and tools they have. For example, this may include an individual’s extensive ability to understand how to effectively utilise Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Further in the case for a HR employee, this may include their software proficiency in utilising Human Resource Information System (HRIS) technology. Therefore, it is essential to develop and present a wide variety of technical skills to recruiters to be largely successful throughout recruitment processes.

Leadership

A crucial skill that recruiters will look for in 2021 is an individual employees’ leadership skill. Leadership is critical as leaders are able to motivate teams, individual employees and those around them to be increasingly productive to meet the common goals at hand. Leaders play an essential role in providing clarification to team members and further ensuring direction to any activity.

Recruiters are looking for leaders who contain skills such as active listening, empathy, strategic thinking and inspiring others. When a leader contains these skills, they can productively ensure that the best outcomes are being met for the organisation and further ensure that work is being done effectively.

Teamwork

Skill that recruiters will be looking for in 2022 is teamwork skills. Teamwork is at the forefront of almost every organisation today. The benefits of effective teamwork are extremely well known to all recruiters and are important in their recruitment decisions. Teamwork skills allow individuals to assure that they are able to participate in a team effectively.

As such exemplar teamwork skills include conflict resolution, reliability, effective discussion and active listening. When team members contain these skills, they are able to ensure that they work extremely effectively within a team and in turn, become more attractive to any recruiter.

Computer Skills

Recruiters within 2021 will be looking deeply into individuals who have strong computer skills. Specifically, computer skills include employees’ abilities and knowledge to utilise computer and related technology effectively. This may include understanding how to utilise word, managing files online and further accessing the relevant field of work databases and information online.

Computer skills have become extremely essential as due to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic businesses had become increasingly more technology-centric in their operations. Likewise, having a strong base of computer skills allows an onboarding employee to show that they will work productively with minimal training needed.

Hardworking

The final extremely essential skill that any recruiter will look for in 2022 is being hardworking. Specifically, when employees are hardworking, they exhibit the skills of being extremely dependable, motivational and self-strengthened to get work done effectively.

This is critical to any organisation as employees who are hardworking will ensure that the business is positively influenced through meeting goals more efficiently in any circumstance. Likewise, recruiters’ find hardworking employees essential as they do not want to hire an employee who will be unbeneficial to the organisation by just taking everything easily and not pushing themselves by going beyond expectations.

How HR Automation Transforms the Employee Lifecycle Free Bonus