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The best employability skills to have

SEEK content team – updated on 31 January, 2024

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If you’re an active job seeker looking to stand out, a set of well-rounded employability skills can make all the difference. Often referred to as ‘soft skills’ or ‘transferable skills’, employability skills include communication, teamwork, problem solving, time management and more.

Whether you’re a new job seeker, you’re looking to change career paths, or you just want to develop your skill set, here’s what you need to know about good employment skills and how to get them.

What are employability skills?

Employability skills are skills that make you a great employee – things like good communication abilities, critical thinking and collaborating well with your teammates. They’re often referred to as ‘soft skills’ or you could also think of them as ‘people skills’.

Unlike technical skills, employability skills are relevant and transferable across all industries and occupations. Whether you're working in healthcare, technology or education, they are crucial for success. Employability skills include:

Communication: the ability to clearly express ideas, listen actively and convey information effectively, verbally and in writing.
Teamwork: working well with others towards a common goal. This also includes respecting other people’s perspectives and contributing constructively in team settings.
Problem solving: being able to identify issues, analyse situations and develop solutions in a timely and efficient manner.
Adaptability: adjusting to new conditions, being flexible in the face of change, and handling a variety of tasks and challenges.

Importance of employability skills

Employability skills help you perform your duties effectively and efficiently. They’re important to employers because they mean you can communicate well and get along with your teammates, which helps create good work culture and a smooth workflow. Here are some knock-on effects of having good employability skills.

Enhancing productivity

Skills such as time management, organisation and effective communication all play a role in helping you complete tasks efficiently. Employees with these skills are more capable of managing their workload without a manager having to intervene or teammates needing to take on more than their fair share.

Improving interactions with colleagues, clients and customers

Skills such as empathy, active listening and conflict resolution are essential for building strong, collaborative relationships with colleagues, clients and customers.

Enhancing problem-solving abilities, critical thinking and decision-making

Problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making skills allow you to analyse situations, think creatively and make informed decisions. These are desirable skills in any workplace, because they mean you can work autonomously and don’t need constant supervision. People with strong decision-making skills often make good leaders.

Employability skills examples

Employability skills can cover a wide range of traits and abilities. They’re important to identify, if you want to be able to work on them and list them on your resumé. Read through this employability skills list for ideas on what areas you can work on in your career development plan.

Communication skills

The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is an important skill to have in both your personal and professional life. These skills don’t just include speaking or writing clearly but also listening and interpreting meaning.

Verbal communication: this includes the words we choose and how we say them. It's about expressing ideas clearly, while tailoring your language to your audience.
Written communication: this involves putting ideas into writing. It includes: emails, reports, presentation decks, infographics, social media posts, instant messages and even your resumé.
Active listening: this means concentrating on the speaker, understanding their message and responding thoughtfully.
Non-verbal communication: body language, facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice. Non-verbal cues can often convey more than words.

There are so many benefits to effective communication in the workplace like:

Building trust and understanding
Fostering respect among colleagues and clients
Resolving misunderstandings and conflicts
Allowing open discussion and collaboration between teams
Giving constructive feedback
Helping to build an understanding of different perspectives and finding common ground

Teamwork skills

Whatever your job or career path, it’s more than likely you spend a good deal of time working with people. Being able to discuss ideas, listen to other people’s input and work together toward common goals is an invaluable skill to have. It involves a combination of communication, interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset.

Types of teamwork skills include:

Collaboration: this includes sharing ideas, resources and responsibilities and being open to different perspectives.
Cooperation: this requires a willingness to help others, often putting the team's needs above personal interests.
Contributing to a team's success: this means taking part in team activities, offering your views and taking on tasks to help.

Effective teamwork encourages respect, where all ideas and perspectives are valued. The success of a project relies on the team working together efficiently. This leads to more creative solutions and better problem solving.

Problem-solving skills

Effective problem-solving skills make you a valuable team member, no matter the industry. This involves breaking an obstacle down into manageable parts, looking at it from different angles and then coming up with a solution. Problem solving requires:

Critical thinking: the ability to question, evaluate and make a judgement about what’s in front of you.
Creativity: seeing problems from new perspectives and coming up with unique ways to overcome them.
Decision-making: evaluating different solutions, considering potential outcomes and making informed choices.

Challenges and obstacles are inevitable in the workplace. Employers value employees who can solve problems while staying calm under pressure. This can lead to improvements in processes, products and services.

Critical-thinking skills

Critical thinking isn’t always a skill that comes naturally, yet it plays an important role in making informed decisions. There are many different types of critical-thinking skills:

Reasoning: this involves evaluating information, determining its relevance and using it to make reasoned arguments.
Problem solving: this allows people to break down problems, analyse them and develop solutions.
Attention to detail: critical thinkers notice and consider all relevant information, which is crucial for making decisions.

Employees with strong critical-thinking skills are often more competent in their roles. They can analyse situations, anticipate potential issues, and proactively work on solutions.

Time-management skills

Time management is a critically important skill in the workplace, especially if you have competing deadlines to manage. These skills help you plan your day and use your time as efficiently as possible. It often includes organising tasks, setting goals and prioritising activities.

Organisation: keeping track of deadlines and responsibilities, so you can focus on the tasks that need your immediate attention.
Planning: looking at future tasks and preparing for them by creating schedules, setting deadlines and anticipating potential obstacles.
Goal-setting: clear, achievable goals provide direction and purpose, making it easier to prioritise tasks and allocate time where it's most needed.

Time-management skills are essential to getting tasks completed on time and to a high standard. Good time management can help reduce stress, because you feel more in control of your tasks. Forward planning can help alleviate the pressure and anxiety often associated with a heavy workload.

How to improve your employability skills

Now you know what makes employability skills so valuable, you might be wondering how to improve them. Committing to your professional development is a continual process that can boost your career, so it’s well worth investing the time and effort into expanding and honing your employability skill set.

Identify which skills need improvement

Before you can improve your employability skills, you need to identify which areas you need to work on. You can do this by:

Self-assessment: reflect on your experiences and think about which skills you feel less confident in.
Feedback: constructive feedback from others can provide a new perspective on areas where you can improve.
Performance reviews: these can highlight strengths and weaknesses in your skill set.

Continue your education

Learning doesn’t stop when you leave school. There are plenty of ways you can use further education to develop your employability skills. This includes things like:

Formal education: consider courses, workshops or even postgraduate degrees to help improve your skills.
Online learning: platforms like SEEK Learning offer courses on a wide range of topics, including soft skills like communication and leadership.
Reading and research: stay informed about your industry and the broader business world. Books, articles and industry publications can be great resources.

Volunteer

Volunteering can help you build new skills or develop existing ones, especially in areas like teamwork, communication and problem solving. It’s also a great way to meet new people and expand your professional network while practising empathy.

How to show your employability skills on your resumé

You’ve discovered exactly what employability skills are and identified which ones you have – now it’s time to update your resumé so prospective employers can see them too. Here's how to list and highlight your employability skills on your resumé, to make your application stand out.

Select the most relevant skills to the job you’re applying for

It’s important that you tailor your resumé to the specific job you're applying for. Carefully read the job description to understand what skills the employer is looking for. Then choose skills from your own set that best match these requirements.

Include higher-level skills when available

Highlight skills that show expertise like leadership, strategic planning and advanced technical abilities. Where possible, link these skills to specific achievements that show your proficiency.

List skill level of each

Use terms like ‘beginner’, ‘intermediate’, ‘advanced’, or ‘expert’ to describe your level of proficiency in each skill. It’s important to be honest about your skill levels, so you don’t oversell your abilities.

Categorise your skills

Organising your skills into categories can make your resumé more readable. Group your skills into categories, like ‘Technical skills’, ‘Communication skills’, ‘Leadership skills’, etc. Use a clear, easy-to-read layout for listing your skills.

Employability skills are key workplace skills like communication, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking and time management. They’re the skills that enable you to adapt and thrive in different work environments. Developing these skills is an ongoing process that requires you to proactively seek out opportunities for learning and improvement at work. Master them and you may find more opportunities opening up for you, whether it’s a raise, a promotion or a complete career change.

FAQs

What are the top 5 most important employability skills?

The top five most important employability skills are:

Communication
Teamwork
Problem solving
Time management
Adaptability

These skills are highly valued in the professional world as they contribute to a productive workplace. If you’re unsure of which soft skills to develop, start with these five.