“The current covid era has been a game changer. As a talent you can go out there and demand things now”
- Nina Zimmerman, CEO of Kununu
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 on finding the perfect job match.
setting yourself apart from the rest: power skills
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 FutureThink, an award winning accelerated learning company, in her impulse talk.
Current times no longer demand for an “I” shaped person, someone with a lot of depth and knowledge (hard skills) on a specific job 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 power skills can be termed a “T” shaped person.
“Being a T shaped person sets you apart and gets you ahead. It’s not enough anymore just to have great specific skills, it’s your ability to leverage them between and beyond the business unit that you work in.”
- Lisa Bodell
According to LinkedIn Learning the most sought after power skills are creativity, resilience, adaptability, leading through change, emotional intelligence, collaboration, time management, communication, dealing with stress and being mindful. Resilience and adaptability were deemed the most sought after power skills that CEOs want to have on their teams.
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 organisations apart in the future. They’re what make you different and what gets you promoted.”
to get the job you love, you need to find out what you love to do
Whether you’re just starting out or well into your career it’s so important to figure out what kind of work you truly love to do. It can make all the difference in how much you enjoy your job. Nina Zimmerman, CEO of Kununu, Europe’s leading employer review site, recommends researching different companies and the roles you feel passionate about. Consider your own values and skills then search for companies that match that. One tip, Tania Ezzedine, Director of ERP Offering Leadership at Avanade, a leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, shared with us, is to write down what you are really looking for and note down what you can do and what you are not okay with. “You need to be honest with yourself and your employer regarding the boundaries you set with balancing all aspects of your life”, she states.
“Feel confident saying how you would like to lead your life and see how that works in negotiations.” - Nina Zimmerman, CEO of Kununu.
Once you figure this out, it’s a great next step to begin building your personal brand around this and make it authentic. Stephanie, Head of HR at the Mondi Group, a leading global paper and packaging company, shared that in her experience “the people sharing about the company externally are often the ones that are internally inspiring people and setting the values”. But the key, she says, is to “walk the talk and make sure everything you post externally is brought to life internally too.”
“Your personal brand is anything you stand for in terms of values or field of expertise. It’s great to actively have an influence on that rather than let others assume something wrong about yourself.”
- Mahdis Gharaei, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at the female factor.
negotiation queen
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.
but what about a long career break?
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.
“The bottom line is your fundamental ability to do things really well, whether that be 15 years ago or now, doesn’t change.”
- Nina Zimmerman
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.
Want to read more like this? We collected the 10 steps you can take towards getting your dream career here.
about our speakers:
Mahdis Gharaei is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the female factor. She is also head of partnerships and host and speaker at many events including a Tedx talk and our the newly launched Leaders Talk Podcast.
Lisa Bodell is the CEO of FutureThink, a Global Council Member at the World Economic Forum and Global Speaker, who has been ranked among the top 50 keynote speakers worldwide.
Nina Zimmerman is the CEO of Kununu. She is an expert in digital space and all aspects of the internet business from consumer sales and marketing, strategic development, internationalisation strategies, business development and product development.
Tania Ezzeddine is the Director of ERP Offering Leadership at Avanade. She is an experienced Head of Information Technology with over 25 years of experience in delivering customer orientated business solutions.
Stephanie Schmuttermair is Head of HR at Mondi Korneuburg and People Development Manager at the Mondi Group.She is an expert in all areas of HR, with over 14 years of experience.
Alisa Kapic is VP of Sales North Europe and Country Director Austria of IWG. She has been a guest speaker at many events, including for the female factor, Regus and the Association of Business Women of Bosnia and Herzegovina.