Job Skills Necessary for Success, Essay Example

The overall dynamism and competitiveness of the contemporary working environment means that workers from all sectors are confronted with a diverse set of challenges, which need to be overcome in order to succeed. In order to delineate precisely what skills are necessary for success in this demanding context, of course, a preliminary step would be attempt to specify what type of job environment is in question, thereby clarifying with some detail the skills required for a particular occupation. However, from a contrasting perspective, in so far as one considers that there is a certain resemblance between all forms of labor, which in fact allows these diverse forms of work to be grouped together as such, there seem to be some skills which transcend contexts and particular work environments, meaning that such skills are valuable irregardless of the situation at hand. Following this latter viewpoint on the issue of job skills, it would seem that the following skills are invaluable irrespective of context: a strong work ethic, excellent organizational talents, and a positive attitude.

In terms of a strong work ethic, this skill seems self-explanatory. However, many individuals approach their job merely looking to cash the proverbial paycheck. In this case, no extraneous effort is placed into the tasks at hand and merely “getting by” is deemed a sufficient goal. Certainly, this approach can explain a good deal of workers’ attitudes. However, when considering the issue of job skills necessary to success, it is clear that such an approach is untenable: a strong work ethic demonstrates a dedication to successfully accomplishing goals. Without immersing oneself in one’s labor, there is no way to climb above the normalcy of mediocrity. Dedication to the task is akin to successfully accomplishing a task.

However, a mere gung-ho attitude is not sufficient in itself. A dedication through strong work ethic is certainly a skill, in so far as it means that the worker will put the time in to realize the goal: but the successful realization of the goal also needs a broader method and therefore organizational skills. Organizational skills means understanding how to tackle a work-place problem, taking in a diverse number of factors that may influence the working environment, such as time constraints, understanding deadlines, and managing materials and also working with co-workers. In this sense, organizational skills become critical in the sense that they represent a channeling and focusing of the initial energies that are provided through the commitment to a strong work ethic. It can therefore be said that organizational skills represents a more intellectual dimension in contrast to the more emotional and even physical skill of a strong work ethic.

Yet even with these two skills in place, at times work will overwhelm the individual and goals may not be accomplished. In this regard, surviving in the work place requires an additional commitment: a commitment to a positive attitude. Such a positive attitude is not only a general emotive stance towards the work place, in the sense that the worker has a positive relationship to his or her labors, but also possesses an intellectual dimension: bearing a positive attitude allows one to put potential problems in the workplace in their proper perspective and context. Thus, when something inevitably goes wrong, having a positive attitude helps to minimize any over-reactions to the problem; at the same time, it provides one with an opportunity to re-group and take another strategy to the task at hand.

Hence, the skills of a strong work ethic, organizational abilities, and general positive attitude all contribute to success in the workplace, since each of these skills can be said to address particular aspects of the employment experience. Furthermore, these can all be classified as skills, since they are not innate to every human being. Identifying the importance of these skills and the reasons why they are important, while also continuing to develop them, can become crucial foundational stones on the road to success.