Employability Skills For Public Relations Officers

Introduction to Employability Skills

Discuss about the Exhibit Peculiar Employability Characteristics.

As much as education and experience are instrumental in making an applicant eligible to be hired for a particular job vacancy, it is important for one to exhibit peculiar employability characteristics that make them stand out from other applicants. In this respect, employers have an obligation to identify individuals with the set of qualities and characteristics that are relevant in enabling the organization to realize its goals and objectives. Employability skills refer to abilities and strengths necessary to make an individual remain employable and be in a position to be successful in building careers. It is common for employers to expect a certain level of experience and skills to be hired. In retrospect, employability characteristics refer to skills and attitudes that make it possible for employees to get along with workmates when it comes to making critical decisions, addressing problems, and developing respect.

1. Enterprise- an amalgamation of leadership, individuality and creativity that allows a norm of innovation and risk taking as well as intrapersonal skills
2. Exercising leadership- this requires an individual to be confident and collaborate with others towards success.
3. Global citizenship- to engage in a morally and ethically diverse society
4. Self-control- taking responsibility for individual actions and personal development
5. Information literacy- ability to know and understand when the information is needed

Considering the job vacancy in the post of Public Relations officer identified, these four characteristics are in line with the qualifications and the requirement of job specification. People who have good interpersonal skills can effectively take part in the activities of different teams and can satisfy the needs and expectations of customers, manage time, take responsibility, make decisions, and work together with fellow employees (Baumann, Amara, Karavdic & Limbach-Reich, 2014). This is the single most important skill for those who wish to become Public Relations officers since the position is all about talking and interacting with people at all times (Smylie, & Firestone, 2015, p. 72). Well-honed interpersonal skills enable employees to easily build a rapport with colleagues and customers, resulting in the better working environment. The other important employability skill is good communication skill, which involves the ability to communicate both in writing and through word of mouth. Good communication means that the person can pass the message across with no chance of misunderstanding.

The other employability skill is personal development and global citizenship, which basically involves developing the right attitude about the organization and the work environment as well as the ability to work in a diverse location. Employers are more interested in hiring people who are willing to learn and develop themselves (Vaagan & Pashevich, 2014, p. 130). In this respect, an employee who is ready to learn and adopt new changes has a higher likelihood of succeeding compared to one who is afraid of trying (Molla & Cuthbert, 2015). The position of Public Relations in New Zealand often requires change, and for this reason, employers will prefer applicants who are flexible and innovative as indicated in the enterprise characteristic, adaptable, and who can easily embrace change. Also, personal development concerns how people evolve regarding their attitudes and working practices (Akkermans & Tims, 2017, p. 186). In this respect, self-motivation and confidence are the primary components of personal development since it is all about how others perceive or view an individual.

Employability Skills Relevant to Public Relations Officers

The last employability skill in this aspect is that of leadership, which is associated with traits such as strong self-confidence and being a team player. Leaders are often team players who can engage colleagues to realize the best results for the organization. Leaders display social skills by upholding the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of other people, while in the process earning respect in return. Leadership skills can not only enable the employee to be elevated to a senior position but may also rise to the current position of the employer.

As stated above, employability skills refer to talents that make one attractive and fit for hire. Some of the pathways to improving employability skills include advancing one’s educational level, getting organized, learning teamwork skills, improving the level of communication, becoming self-motivated, and becoming professional (Pheko & Molefhe, 2017, p. 455). Improving employability skills will not only give an applicant an advantage during job search but may also position the person to get higher or better roles at the place of work.

The first pathway to developing the necessary employability skill is to advance education. In this respect, training and education will make employers believe that the employee is taking his or her professional life seriously and can be instrumental in advancing the objectives and goals of that particular organization. People can advance their education and enhance employability skills by acquiring a degree certificate, enrolling in continuing education programs, or taking part in internships. This can also be achieved by getting a mentor, taking part in professional development opportunities, or joining trade organizations proving enrichment programs for its members. In this sense, having a certificate and presenting it to the employer can give an employee an upper hand over other applicants while at the same time enabling the employee to sharpen his or her employability skills.

The second pathway is to become self-motivated. Employees who are self-motivated and independent often appear valuable in the eyes of employers.  This is because employers will always feel that they are people who know what they want in life and can, therefore, be trusted to have employability characteristics. In this regard, it is important for every potential employee to develop his or her own personal and professional aspirations and objectives before laying down a path or course of action to attain all of them. A self-motivated person will always strive to request for regular and consistent performance reviews about what is required in their respective line of career to make the necessary adjustments with the sole objective of sharpening their employability skills (Pheko & Molefhe, 2017). This can be followed by asking for input as well as the procedure necessary to improve skill sets to enhance one’s work product. This path will help the employee to develop the employability skill at personal development.

Pathways to Develop Employability Skills

The third pathway that will help the employee develop the skill of personal development is always to uphold professionalism. Irrespective of the line of career an individual enters, the aspects of integrity and professionalism are important attributes that should never be underestimated (Pheko &Molefhe, 2017). This is because they make people appear serious and earn respect in their respective line of duty. The employee can accomplish this by joining professional networking associations and leadership development groups. Professionalism is a broad term that covers a wide area of operation. For purposes of personal development, employees should strive to familiarize themselves with other people in the industry who are in the same level of professionalism (Pheko &Molefhe, 2017). This will not only give them a path to networking but also make them appreciate the need to advance their career to be like other people within the industry whom they respect and emulate.

The fourth pathway to developing employability skills is to get organized since organizational skills are instrumental in making employee become a good team player and a better coordinator. In this regard, employees can improve their employability skills by volunteering and taking up the roles of coordinator and leaders within the place of work or in their locality (Stefanski, Leitze & Fife-Demski, 2018, p. 35). The employee can also take part in long-range planning initiatives, organizing events, and planning strategic sessions. Team working is also another pathway for developing leadership skills, which is one of the employability skills discussed above. When one can work well with colleagues, employers will not hesitate to hire them. This skill can be cultivated by taking part in steering committees, volunteering, or participating in community boards and councils (Tran, 2013, p. 637). Taking part in such activities will improve not only employees’ communication skills but also their leadership skills. This is because when individuals take part in such activities, they are likely to communicate with their team members, which sharpens their communications skills. On the other hand, the interaction with the groups also teaches employees how to handle people and also how to sustain a conversation with people within the organization, hence improving their leadership skills.

Conclusion

To sum it up, employability simply means the ability to get employed, maintaining it, and even gaining another employment at will over other potential applicants for the same position. It encompasses a set of skills and personal attributes that make employers choose one employee over the rest. Employers often make such a decision with the hope that the hired individual has all it takes to make the organization realize its goals and objectives within the stipulated time. It is important for employees to learn such skills as leadership, communication, personal development, and interpersonal skills since they are applicable in most organizations both locally and internationally, such as the case of New Zealand. Other than having the skills, it is also imperative for employees to master the pathways that can be used to sharpen the skills before attending an interview.

References

Baumann, M., Amara, M., Karavdic, S., & Limbach-Reich, A. (2014). First-year at university: Work, 49(3), 505-515. doi:10.3233/WOR-131729

Smylie, J., & Firestone, M. (2015). Back to the basics: Identifying and addressing underlying challenges in achieving high quality and relevant health statistics for indigenous populations in Canada. Statistical Journal Of The IAOS, 31(1), 67-87. doi:10.3233/SJI-150864

VAAGAN, R., & PASHEVICH, E. A. (2014). Youth on the Move: A Multicultural European Online Magazine in a Global Media Environment. Intercultural Communication Studies, 23(1), 125-145

Molla, T., & Cuthbert, D. (2015). The Issue of Research Graduate Employability in Australia: An Analysis of the Policy Framing (1999-2013). Australian Educational Researcher (Springer Science & Business Media B.V.), 42(2), 237-256. doi:10.1007/s13384-015-0171-6

Akkermans, J., & Tims, M. (2017). Crafting your Career: How Career Competencies Relate to Career Success via Job Crafting. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 66(1), 168-195. doi:10.1111/apps.12082

Pheko, M. M., & Molefhe, K. (2017). Addressing employability challenges: a framework for improving the employability of graduates in Botswana. International Journal Of Adolescence & Youth, 22(4), 455-469. doi:10.1080/02673843.2016.1234401

Stefanski, A. J., Leitze, A., & Fife-Demski, V. M. (2018). Preservice Teacher Sense-Making While Learning to Teach Reading as Seen Through Computer-Mediated Discourse. Reading Horizons, 57(1), 32-54.

Tran, T. (2013). Limitation on the development of skills in higher education in Vietnam. Higher Education (00181560), 65(5), 631-644. doi:10.1007/s10734-012-9567-7