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What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in a job or field?
#office #administration #career #business
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10 answers
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Monica’s Answer
Hi Monica, great name!
The best way to determine what skills you need in the field of office administration is to do a search online for jobs that seem interesting to you and look at the requirement section and the duties that are expected of the position.
For example, the skills for most people working in an office are customer service, written and oral communication, research, filing, typing, technology, software programs like MS Office, Word, Excel, time management, detail-oriented, resourcefulness, adaptability, etc.
Check online job boards for jobs that you are interested in the office admin field and see what skills are required.
Ask someone you know that works in the type of job you are interested in if you can shadow them at work, or meet them at lunch at their place of employment as you're doing research for a possible career.
The best way to determine what skills you need in the field of office administration is to do a search online for jobs that seem interesting to you and look at the requirement section and the duties that are expected of the position.
For example, the skills for most people working in an office are customer service, written and oral communication, research, filing, typing, technology, software programs like MS Office, Word, Excel, time management, detail-oriented, resourcefulness, adaptability, etc.
Monica recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Bryan’s Answer
The other answers here are good but the one that I feel is maybe most important is GRIT. Grit is defined as courage or resolve and in this context, it means continuing to drive towards your goal thru adversity or obstacles. Grit is the attribute that will help you succeed no matter what field or industry you're in. This can be applied to starting your own business, or trying to succeed in a junior role at a big company. If you do work at a big (or small) company, and you look at the people in leadership levels, I can almost guarantee that they have above average grit to get there!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2017/03/06/why-grit-is-more-important-than-iq-when-youre-trying-to-become-successful/5e66d3877e45
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2017/03/06/why-grit-is-more-important-than-iq-when-youre-trying-to-become-successful/5e66d3877e45
Updated
Kevin’s Answer
Hey Monica!
There are plenty of different skills and abilities that can differ from job to job. However, there are one or two personal attributes that are essential for all jobs and careers, regardless of what field you are in.
The first personal attribute is being a great communicator. Understanding how to communicate, whether verbally and in person or digitally, is super important. There will be many instances in which you need to get certain points across, pitch ideas, give constructive feedback, or even engage in interpersonal conversations that build team rapport. All of these require great communication skills. If you can successfully communicate, you are already one step ahead.
The second personal attribute is being a great team player. Sure, leadership skills are important, but even the best leaders are team players. If you can support your peers and gain their support and trust, you will have an important and huge backing in your jobs and career. Being a team player shows that you are able to set aside work differences in order to achieve a goal that will benefit the overall team.
Think about these two, and see where you can improve on that for yourself! Hope this helps.
There are plenty of different skills and abilities that can differ from job to job. However, there are one or two personal attributes that are essential for all jobs and careers, regardless of what field you are in.
The first personal attribute is being a great communicator. Understanding how to communicate, whether verbally and in person or digitally, is super important. There will be many instances in which you need to get certain points across, pitch ideas, give constructive feedback, or even engage in interpersonal conversations that build team rapport. All of these require great communication skills. If you can successfully communicate, you are already one step ahead.
The second personal attribute is being a great team player. Sure, leadership skills are important, but even the best leaders are team players. If you can support your peers and gain their support and trust, you will have an important and huge backing in your jobs and career. Being a team player shows that you are able to set aside work differences in order to achieve a goal that will benefit the overall team.
Think about these two, and see where you can improve on that for yourself! Hope this helps.
Updated
Ken’s Answer
It starts with the basics: Be Dependable, Accountable & Professional.
Dependable - be present, be ready to work and be consistent. Peers and co-workers need to be able to rely on you to be there as much as the person you work for. And you never know who may be in a position to hire you later.
Accountable - when work is assigned to you it is your responsibility to ensure that it gets done even if you have to engage other its still on you to get the work completed. When things don't work out or fall behind schedule be sure to own, explain what happened and give details on how the issues will be resolved.
Professional - Some think that one of the keys to success is being nice. I would challenge that. Its takes a lot of energy to be nice ALL the time. But being professional is a lot easier and more appreciated. In all things from verbal communication to written communication it should always be well though out and professional at all times.
These 3 things will take you far in life.
Dependable - be present, be ready to work and be consistent. Peers and co-workers need to be able to rely on you to be there as much as the person you work for. And you never know who may be in a position to hire you later.
Accountable - when work is assigned to you it is your responsibility to ensure that it gets done even if you have to engage other its still on you to get the work completed. When things don't work out or fall behind schedule be sure to own, explain what happened and give details on how the issues will be resolved.
Professional - Some think that one of the keys to success is being nice. I would challenge that. Its takes a lot of energy to be nice ALL the time. But being professional is a lot easier and more appreciated. In all things from verbal communication to written communication it should always be well though out and professional at all times.
These 3 things will take you far in life.
Updated
Donald’s Answer
In addition to the great answers you've already received, I'd add just a few practical things you might consider as you move forward:
A good work ethic: you have to show up! There's a commercial that plays here that says," arriving early is on-time, on-time is late and late is unacceptable". It really is like that in an industry in which all the players are needed to deliver a service or product. It doesn't matter if you are the brightest person on staff if you don't show up. When you are at work, dedicate your time to your job....social media will have to wait. You are there to provide service to others - do that sincerely and people will notice. Never leave a problem with a customer unless it is solved or handed off to someone else who will solve the problem. Ritz Carlton bases their service promise on this basis.
Be flexible. New ideas, services, companies and the associated changes are a fact of life and need to be embraced by participants to give each an opportunity to be fairly evaluated. And, expect that no new program will go off without some problem, unanticipated consequence or success, each of which may require adjustments. finding the problems is the easy part - developing and implementing solutions are the real work.
Be inquisitive....ask a lot of questions. Most industries are very heavily invested in what to do and in many cases the how to do it is left up to the individual. Further, it is important to know why things are done and how they fit in to the overall business. "I don't know" is not a wrong answer.....
Make mistakes...just don't make the same one's twice. Know that you will and be prepared to discuss them rationally when they do occur. In many cases, asking for forgiveness will be better than asking for permission. This is a good conversation to have with your supervisor very early in your career or with a recruiter before you chose a particular company.
When asked to do something that is technically "not your job", use it as an opportunity to learn another aspect of the business you are in. The more overall knowledge you have, the better are the opportunities that will be presented to you as you progress in your career.
In a general sense to begin with and continuing development in your knowledge of business finance. In a restaurant,knowing how to cook great food is as essential as knowing how much it costs to put a plate on your guests table and what that contributes to the bottom line (profit/loss). If you can balance a checkbook, you have the basic knowledge to figure out most financial information.
Everyone has good ideas and the people who are doing the actual work are the one's closest to most of the problems. Listen to them and acknowledge their efforts and ideas. To do this you must be approachable, credible and open to be seen as a person who is part of the solution. Make sure you get back to people on what you did with their ideas and give them the recognition when they help solve the problems. By helping others succeed, you also build your own success.
Aside from all the technical skills...which, if anyone can learn, so can you.....it's all about people.....they are your greatest assets and challenges. It is a lifetime process to develop high levels of skill in this area and is only limited by the limits you place upon yourself.
Be safe and provide a safe environment for yourself, employees and customers. It is everyone's job. Walking by an unsafe act, condition or other situation is condoning and accepting it. Failing in this area can do irreparable harm to people, business and reputations. You can't just look at things...you have to learn how to observe.
Do what you love, do things that improve the business, the environment and that are socially relevant and you'll never have to work a day in your life. Good luck in life and in your chosen career
Don Knapik
Make a list of the things you enjoy doing most.....score them from least to most interesting
Make a list of jobs that that encompass the things you enjoy most.....score them as above.
Research the jobs you like that are alignned with those you enjoy to ascertain what skills are needed for that job or general field.
List a skills you have and the skills you'll need to get that job or enter that field - be realistic!
Make a plan to get you to the skill level you'll need to enter your chosen field and start moving towards your goals
A good work ethic: you have to show up! There's a commercial that plays here that says," arriving early is on-time, on-time is late and late is unacceptable". It really is like that in an industry in which all the players are needed to deliver a service or product. It doesn't matter if you are the brightest person on staff if you don't show up. When you are at work, dedicate your time to your job....social media will have to wait. You are there to provide service to others - do that sincerely and people will notice. Never leave a problem with a customer unless it is solved or handed off to someone else who will solve the problem. Ritz Carlton bases their service promise on this basis.
Be flexible. New ideas, services, companies and the associated changes are a fact of life and need to be embraced by participants to give each an opportunity to be fairly evaluated. And, expect that no new program will go off without some problem, unanticipated consequence or success, each of which may require adjustments. finding the problems is the easy part - developing and implementing solutions are the real work.
Be inquisitive....ask a lot of questions. Most industries are very heavily invested in what to do and in many cases the how to do it is left up to the individual. Further, it is important to know why things are done and how they fit in to the overall business. "I don't know" is not a wrong answer.....
Make mistakes...just don't make the same one's twice. Know that you will and be prepared to discuss them rationally when they do occur. In many cases, asking for forgiveness will be better than asking for permission. This is a good conversation to have with your supervisor very early in your career or with a recruiter before you chose a particular company.
When asked to do something that is technically "not your job", use it as an opportunity to learn another aspect of the business you are in. The more overall knowledge you have, the better are the opportunities that will be presented to you as you progress in your career.
In a general sense to begin with and continuing development in your knowledge of business finance. In a restaurant,knowing how to cook great food is as essential as knowing how much it costs to put a plate on your guests table and what that contributes to the bottom line (profit/loss). If you can balance a checkbook, you have the basic knowledge to figure out most financial information.
Everyone has good ideas and the people who are doing the actual work are the one's closest to most of the problems. Listen to them and acknowledge their efforts and ideas. To do this you must be approachable, credible and open to be seen as a person who is part of the solution. Make sure you get back to people on what you did with their ideas and give them the recognition when they help solve the problems. By helping others succeed, you also build your own success.
Aside from all the technical skills...which, if anyone can learn, so can you.....it's all about people.....they are your greatest assets and challenges. It is a lifetime process to develop high levels of skill in this area and is only limited by the limits you place upon yourself.
Be safe and provide a safe environment for yourself, employees and customers. It is everyone's job. Walking by an unsafe act, condition or other situation is condoning and accepting it. Failing in this area can do irreparable harm to people, business and reputations. You can't just look at things...you have to learn how to observe.
Do what you love, do things that improve the business, the environment and that are socially relevant and you'll never have to work a day in your life. Good luck in life and in your chosen career
Don Knapik
Donald recommends the following next steps:
Updated
M’s Answer
Hi Monica! This is a great question! Regardless of the job that you are going into, I believe there are some set skills that are always important. It is important to always be hard working, organized, and professional in any job, learning to write professional emails is a skill I realized not many people had, but there are so many resources online now to help you out. Additionally, given we live in such a technologically driven world, knowing how to use basic tools like Microsoft (word, powerpoint, excel) and Adobe acrobat are essential. And depending on how technical your role is you may need to be advanced in these tools and know other tools. Thus, depending on your specific role you are seeking I would recommend doing research for your specific industry, but I believe the ones I mentioned are a great starting point. Good luck Monica!
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James’s Answer
There are some great answers here! I agree that communication and grit are key skills that apply to any job. Effective communication means communicating often and communicating both bad and good news (especially bad news, that MUST be communicated right away). Grit is key too. Employers and managers want someone who won't give up, but rises to the challenge to get the work done, even when obstacles make it hard to complete the task.
I'll also add collaboration. Most work involves working with other people. Communication is a key piece of collaboration as everyone must understand roles and responsibilities and people must be help accountable for their work. Collaboration also means that you are empathetic to the people you are working with. You need to understand their perspective and show that you hear and respect their point of view. Good collaborators get work done so much better than people who don't partner well with others.
I'll also add collaboration. Most work involves working with other people. Communication is a key piece of collaboration as everyone must understand roles and responsibilities and people must be help accountable for their work. Collaboration also means that you are empathetic to the people you are working with. You need to understand their perspective and show that you hear and respect their point of view. Good collaborators get work done so much better than people who don't partner well with others.
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Sandra’s Answer
There are lots of qualities that apply to any job or career, like determination, being open minded, willing to work hard, brave enough to speak up, having a positive attitude. You can gain strength around those qualities now by practicing them in your school and personal life.
Once you have some idea of jobs in which you are interested, you will want to spend time researching.
- What kind of education or training is required?
- What top companies are hiring for that job type?
- Are there job shadow or internship opportunities you can take advantage of?
- Do you already know people in that field or a connected field who can offer networking or mentoring opportunities?
Once you have some idea of jobs in which you are interested, you will want to spend time researching.
- What kind of education or training is required?
- What top companies are hiring for that job type?
- Are there job shadow or internship opportunities you can take advantage of?
- Do you already know people in that field or a connected field who can offer networking or mentoring opportunities?
Updated
Cheryl Day’s Answer
Being well organized, holding yourself accountable and being good communicator are 3 key basic abilities that will ensure you are on a fast track to success. Whatever your field of interest, be sure you present and communicate with your supervisors or managers often. BE your own advocate for your growth and success.
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Karima’s Answer
You want work to feel natural to you, not that you are stretching out of your comfort zone.
For example, if you don't like public speaking, don't strive to be something that would require a lot of public speaking in your day to day.
Think about what you are good at and what you enjoy doing and find a job that works with that.
General skills that I think are good in any field are good communication skills and organizational skills
For example, if you don't like public speaking, don't strive to be something that would require a lot of public speaking in your day to day.
Think about what you are good at and what you enjoy doing and find a job that works with that.
General skills that I think are good in any field are good communication skills and organizational skills