Forget tech skills, young people need to go back to the old-school basics to get a job

YOUNG people, you might think tech skills are what you need to get a job today. But the Department of Employment warns otherwise.

Business woman texting on her phone – outdoors

THE Department of Employment has urged young jobseekers to get off Facebook and their iPhones and learn how to talk and write to get work.

Work for the Dole providers agree the iGeneration may be skilled at social media and mobile devices but need to show employers they are motivated, communicate and can be counted on as much as technical ability if they are to get a job – and finish any training they start.

Presenting themselves well to potential employers in interviews by being smartly dressed, positive and enthusiastic also will put them in good stead to get hired ahead of the rest.

Employment department analyst Ivan Neville says a lack of what is regarded as ‘soft skills’ – such as communication, teamwork, motivation, reliability and presentation – is what is holding back many of the nation’s youth from getting job.

Mr Neville, manager of its Labour Research and Analysis branch, said employers might be willing to compromise on technical skills and experience, but not on things such as whether a worker can talk to its customers.

“They won’t take the risk,” he said.

“I can’t stress enough the soft skills element of getting a job.

“I hear around the country that this is what employers are looking for.

“It’s not just about young people – it’s all ages, all industries, all occupations, all skill levels.”

Employees need to be able to have a useful conversation, and know how to write in full sentences with good grammar, even if those things are not important outside of work where texts are used for so much communication.

“For some jobs communication is less of an issue but if you are working with customers – either in person or on the phone – then they are important,” Mr Neville said.

“In many jobs the person is representing the company so communication skills and presentation is vital.

“In other jobs, employers are looking more for reliability and motivation.”

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Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the unemployment rate for 15 to 24-year-olds is 13.1 per cent – more than double the national workforce unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent.

Jobseekers need to demonstrate to the boss they will arrive at work on time, can work as part of a team, can be flexible and have social skills to communicate with others, away from instant messaging.

Being positive and enthusiastic at the job interview is the first step to present themselves, but dressing appropriately and respectably for the industry is a must.

“Put some strong emphasis on your application and resume,” Neville said.

“Employers don’t spend much time looking at individual resumes or applications, but it has to address the job requirements.

“An employer will make their first impression of you within one millisecond – if it’s positive, that’s great, but a bad first impression can be hard to overcome.”

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Workskil Australia chief executive Nicole Dwyer said too many were being let down by things such as not knowing how to use a telephone.

“A lot of people are leaving school without the work skills they require in workplace culture and ethics and the general expectations on how to operate in the workplace,” she said.

“Those doing vocational education at school generally have good technical skills, but still need to have soft skills... attendance and how to use the telephone and that sort of thing.

“We need to get better at supporting these young people to transition to the workplace.

“There’s still a bunch of young people going through the system who don’t have the technical skills or soft skills.”

Mr Neville said jobs in industries such as mining may be declining but in health – already the nation’s largest workforce of 1.4 million people – vacancies are booming.

He urges young jobseekers to research industries and organisations that are in need of workers and find out what technical skills are required to get a job.

Completing Year 12 is an essential first step to getting any job but further education will help workers earn more, with apprenticeships and traineeships as highly valued training methods as university, he says.

“If you complete an apprenticeship, your lifetime earnings are going to be much higher on average than if you leave school before completing Year 12 – more than a million dollars difference,” he said.

FIND YOUR NEXT JOB: careerone.com.au