“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“What are your plans for the future?”
“Do you know what you will need to achieve your goals?”
“It is not easy to get a job these days, you will have to work very hard and have a skill set that sets you apart from the others”

These are statements most teenagers hear from their parents and other well-wishers almost regularly. Family functions and gatherings are the set the stage where youngsters are shot with these questions and are required to come up with the ‘right answer. However, there is no right and wrong when it comes to selecting a career and building your skills – it is largely a matter of interest.

Here is Uable – The social network for school students that helps to understand this aspect of lives comprehensively and holistically. Teenagers can now use this website freely to connect themselves to experts all across the globe and receive help and guidance in terms of careers, skills, etc.

Right decisions supported by expert career counselors

Exploring options and narrowing them down to one is a task that is dreaded by most. There is a level of anxiety that comes with the ‘pressure of making the right decision’. Career counselors, these days, can equip the students with a caseload of information on different prospects, but researching about it gets overwhelming. Using the apps for students created by Uable would be easier to find everything under one umbrella.

Skills that will put you on the top

While making a career choice is vital, the skills required for employment are universal. Here are a few abilities that you can focus on to increase employability:

Social skills – In today’s day and age, being socially adept is one of the most necessary hacks to live a balanced and successful life. Education alone will only take you so far, being able to equip that academic knowledge by translating it into a social scenario is important.

• Verbal skills – Effective and clear communication to be able to express what you are thinking and feeling are what falls under this term. Seemingly trivial aspects like greeting appropriately can also make a huge difference in the work culture.
• Assertiveness – The fine line between aggression and passion is hard to achieve, but when we do master it, it can be life-changing. The ability to put your point across using words such as “I feel…” goes a long way with colleagues
• Non-verbal skills – Maintaining eye contact, an open posture, firm handshake, nodding, and other non-verbal cues can be used liberally
• Listening – An important aspect of communication is listening. Being able to hear your colleagues, clients, friends, etc actively without biases and with an open mind.

Emotional awareness – Being emotional does not always mean wearing your heart on your sleeve and reacting every time. This skill adds to a certain aspect of your intellect as you gain the ability to perceive the environment around you. This also helps with employment as being perceptive helps you think and speak well

• Empathy – Understanding and expressing that understanding is what empathy can be defined as. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes will also enhance critical thinking and help makes decisions objectively.
• Emotional management – Classes, internships, work, can get frustrating. Things might not always go your way and dealing with crises efficiently without letting stress and anxiety get to you is important. Learn to feel the emotions, even negative ones, healthily.

Time management and goal setting – Depending on the type of work you choose to do, schedules can get erratic and tough to predict and manage. How can you make this easier?

• List it out – Make a list of things you are required to do. The smallest of tasks should be included here so that changes of forgetting are reduced
• Prioritize – Rank the tasks based on their priority. Choose to finish the biggest task first
• Break them down – If the tasks seem too big, break them down into very small steps so that they seem achievable.
• Keep buffer time – Despite all planning, things can sometimes not go your way. Keep some extra time in hand so that the tasks that are spilled over can be complete.

Teamwork and interpersonal relationships

An important skill to be able to survive in any competitive environment is teamwork. Having healthy relationships with your employers, employees, colleagues, and people at the workplace works wonders in boosting morale and keeping up the spirit. A healthy environment is also known to increase motivation and efficiency.

The time to work on these skills is now. The more you practice, the better you get at it. Begin now to see a shift in your performance to a great extent!