Every day, employees face challenges that they can solve thanks to the knowledge learned at university and thanks to their work experience. However, there are competences that cannot be discriminated against because they have one profession or another.
First, there are communication skills. To write an email or make a report, having good writing and spelling will allow your superiors to take it seriously. It will always be key to manage clarity in the information you deliver and express yourself correctly.
Now, math skills can be considered only for careers like engineering or finance. However, knowing how to make a simple or inverse rule of three, knowing the basic mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and being able to get a percentage is something that every professional should be able to do, this without the need for a spreadsheet or calculator.
Knowing and making use of these aspects allows any professional to have ‘financial intelligence’. According to Sonia Jaramillo, senior manager at Hays Colombia, every professional must have a “financial and accounting knowledge, including basic statistical knowledge to understand expenses, income, losses or gains.”
Also, do you know how to take advantage of tools likePowerPoint or Excel? These computer programs allow you to get out of trouble, especially when you need to deliver an organized report where you can show graphs, ‘cakes’ and, of course, perform advanced mathematical calculations.
For bosses who are not bilingual it is very useful to have a work team that understands and manages English.
“For any profession, the management of the spreadsheet is essential, as it provides the facility to collect information in an organized manner, in addition to executing mathematical calculations, scheduling dates and times, preparing graphs and extensive reports, but above all, taking budgets,” recommends Liliana Guzmán, director of Human Talent at Loor.
Technology, an ally that every employee should use
Using calendars and emails allows you to effectively schedule meetings, invitations, and events at work.
To minimize the time of tasks “and to be able to share information, you can make use of the ‘storage clouds’ or for people whose work involves the management of communications or relationships with third parties, it is essential to handle tools such as Prezi, as well as know about the creation of blogs and the commercial management of social networks. “
While it is impossible to know everything thoroughly, it is key that the professional is recursive and knows where to find answers. Going to free web applications or tools can get you out of trouble in the workplace.
Finally, it is important to know where you stand and what is going on around you. Staying informed about laws, “political and socioeconomic situation of the country, allows a broad knowledge in national and international issues, taxes, free trade agreements and issues that can influence companies,” concludes Jaramillo.