Communication Skills Required

Communication is a Requirement

More and more job postings have something in them about having strong communication skills, oral and written communication skills and/or presentation skills.

This seems like such a simple thing, you might wonder why it’s even posted as a requirement.You might think everyone is capable of communicating at least on some level.

In reality though, so many people communicate by text, email, instant messages using abbreviations and acronyms and letting spell check change words however it sees fit…the ability to communicate verbally seems to be lost.

When I see this as a mandatory requirement, what it means is you must be able to speak, understand, comprehend and write clearly. And, unless otherwise noted, this is expected to be in English.

It saddens me to receive resumes from candidates with stellar GPA’s and a beautifully written resume, only to call them and discover they cannot speak or understand English. Not all of them are from other countries.

When I ask a question and the answer is the same words I just said rearranged into an incomprehensible sentence …You’re in trouble.

Entry or senior level, hourly or salaried, whatever type and level of candidate you are…if you are answering every question with a yes or no…You’re in trouble.

While this may seem to be an efficient way to respond, it doesn’t help you prove you are capable of holding your own in a conversation or that you actually comprehend the question you were just asked.

When I ask for feedback on why someone did not get offered the job, the majority of the time, the answer has something to do with inability to communicate.

The art of conversation is important. Practice with friends and family if you need to brush up your communication skills.