The pandemic has brought on a lot of changes and companies don’t work the same way as they used to. As people look at the future they don’t know exactly what aspects of their work life will be going back to normal. A lot of people have adapted and adjusted to most changes that they’ve all come across and this will be an essential factor of recruitment. Times are changing and everything is still dynamic, during such situations people who are adaptable have a better chance of survival at companies.

It’s essential that during this period employees or graduates upskill themselves and make sure they have the acquired skills needed to get hired or progress on their journey. To fully understand the importance of these skills employees need to consider the changes that the pandemic has brought upon us.

There has been a level of uncertainty during the pandemic where people didn’t know what was going to happen next and they had to always be prepared for the next thing. Stress has been another part that people had to struggle with and employees/students had to find ways to deal with it. Another factor was being in the comfort zone and yet finding ways to step out of it. Many people did this by starting new courses or going back to their old hobbies.

These are some of the problems that employees/students have had to deal with.while working or studying from home. Different ways to tackle these problems puts across some qualities that a recruiter will seek for in the post COVID-19 era.

1. Adaptability – To be able to easily settle into a new change and respond in a confident way is really helpful for a professional environment.It not only increases productivity but also saves time which would otherwise be spent worrying about it. Employees who can think creatively and differently can give change a good spin.
2. Emotional Intelligence – To be conscious of your emotions and being able to express them in an orderly fashion defines your Emotional Intelligence. A good level of  empathy and integrity displays high emotional intelligence which will be essential in times of uncertainty.
3. Creativity – One of the very important factors that many people have tried to brush upon is being creative. Employees/students who can think out of the box and create new solutions or ways to help grow the business are the real winners. To keep on experimenting and finding different ways to keep up your productivity also puts this quality into the ideal post pandemic worklife mix.
4. Communication Skills – While this particular quality has been emphasised on in the past as well but with the pandemic it has become essential that you have good communication skills. If there’s one thing people have learnt while working from home is that communication is key. Whether it’s about taking feedback or sharing your own thoughts/opinions. You’ll be able to do that in the right manner when you have the ability to communicate it well.
5. Leadership Skills – Working remotely and in a dynamic environment has created a demand from the management to guide their team and keep them motivated during hard times. With workplace shifts, flat hierarchies are being established wherein creating or suggesting a new change is being expected of managers and employees as well. They’re being seen as equals. It’s no longer about establishing power or demanding control but rather about working alongside and giving employees the control to resolve their issues.

These factors are something that people can expect to see as the ideal soft skills that will be demanded of employees and fresh graduates. It’s essential that universities consider preparing students for the industry with an emphasis on these skills. Like Rishihood University, it would be ideal for colleges to bring in speakers or industry professionals who can talk about the forthcoming changes and essential skills needed.