It’s the era of the Great Resignation- employees are quitting their jobs without another one lined up. Hiring freezes caused by the pandemic are now all lifted and talents have more power than ever before to get their ideal job. So how does one get a job they love in this new era? HR experts and corporate leaders share their inside scoop on the most successful hacks for finding the perfect job match.
Power skills is the new and improved name for soft skills, and they “don’t relate to what work you do, but HOW you work”, explains Lisa Bodell, Founder of, an award-winning accelerated learning company, in her impulse talk.
Current times no longer demand an “I” shaped person, someone with a lot of depth and knowledge (hard skills) on a specific jobs in cairns that you would be hired to do. Now, we are experiencing changes and it is “no longer just about hard skills, it’s about the breadth of an individual”, Lisa explained. A person with a combination of hard and powerful skills can be termed a “T” shaped person.
To illustrate an example of a “T” shaped person, Lisa referenced the scientists who have created the Covid-19 vaccines. She stated the “I” part of them is the knowledge they have on Vaccinology needed to create it, but the “T” part is what gave them the ability to work with teams from around the world, deal with the stress of such a task and respond quickly and effectively to the virus. Lisa states “Power skills are what will set you apart and what will set organizations apart in the future. They’re what makes you different and what gets you promoted.”
Although our research shows that salary is no longer the top priority for women, it still remains an important topic. Especially considering women in Austria only earn 81% of what their male counterparts do. But if the salary can’t be negotiated for whatever reasons, the experts recommend negotiating other benefits such as extra annual leave. But that’s not before taking full advantage of the benefits the pandemic has brought. “The current covid era has been a game changer. As a talent you can go out there and demand things now. Be confident enough to walk in there and say I am willing to do this, but this is the personal set up I want, and trust me it works”, states Nina. It’s no secret that many women don’t want to ask for too much, but Stephanie states “it’s so important to come out of your comfort zone, because only then do you make a step further in your career.”
“No risk, no fun. If you don’t take the risk you’ll never know what the other side looks like. We need to look up to our male colleagues on this, because we are the creators of our own success.”- Alisa Kapic, Country Director in Austria of IWG, the world’s largest flexible workplace platform.
An issue some women face is how to transition back into full time work after an extended period away from the workplace due to family commitments. Tania suggests the first step is to put a mirror in front of you and think about what you’re good at, write it down and then phrase that to your potential employer. In this current era the panel all converge that power skills are more important and any required special knowledge can be learnt. “It’s a tactic of negotiation, let them know what you will bring with you and then try to strike a deal that you will learn the technical skills”, states Tania. A decent employer will help you along this journey. “It is important to figure out what you need to learn to make you feel confident going back in and then ask your potential employer what they are going to do to support you with this”, states Nina. The power skills you had before your period of leave from the workplace are still there, any training or specialist knowledge that has developed since can be caught up on.
As a talent, you have more power than ever before, make use of it! Are you currently on the job hunt, or just open to hearing about new opportunities? Sign up to our talent pool and let the dream job find you. Follow us on LinkedIn to make sure you never miss events like this in the future.