What we do now matters!

Whether you get a job in high school or after you graduate, one day you will get a job. The person who hires and pays you is your employer.

The skills we learn and practice now in elementary school are the same skills you will use later in life. Practicing the "business of learning" now will help you get a job and be successful in your career.

Here are 10 qualities employers look for when hiring new employees.

What are employers looking for in their employees? These skills get you a job!

Flexible Thinking

This doesn't mean that you can do the splits! No, it means that you can handle change and be open-minded. It means you have a growth mindset.

You can strengthen your flexible thinking by:

Playing games
Trying new ways to solve things, like math problems or conflicts with friends
Changing your routine

Empathetic listening

Empathetic listening means you listen to understand not to respond. You are connecting with others as you listen. You can do this by asking questions.

Empathy is being able to understand how someone else is feeling.

Empathy is a word that means that someone is able to share or understand the emotions and feelings of another person.

Learn more about empathy here.

Communication

Can you communicate with others in a way that is exciting and not boring? Can you communicate to others in a way that is professional, respectful, and tells a story?

Remember to THINK before you SPEAK.

Is it?

True
Helpful
Inspiring
Necessary
Kind

We don't always communicate with our words. Learn about nonverbal communication here.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence means you are able to recognize emotions in yourself and others.

What to develop your emotional intelligence. Try this activity from Kids Health.

How many feelings can you name? Happy, sad, scared? That's a good start.

Can you name some more? How about playful, joyful, calm? Mad, upset, worried. Confused, lonely, nervous. Grateful, glad, cozy. Loved, friendly, peaceful.

There are so many feelings to name. Try coming up with some of your own.

Learn more about emotional intelligence here.

Creative Thinking

Being creative is more than how well you are doing in art. It also means you can brainstorm ideas with others, continue to learn new things, and use your imagination.

Creative thinking is the ability to consider something in a new way. Employers in all industries want employees who can think creatively and bring new perspectives to the workplace.1

Creative thinking can involve:

A new approach to a problem
A resolution to a conflict between employees
A new result from a data set
A previously untried approach to earning revenue
A new product—or product feature

(Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/creative-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063744)

Learn more about imagination here.

self recognition

This means you understand your strengths and your values. It also means you understand areas you need to grow and get better in. You set goals to help you get better and improve.

Take a minute to think about it.

What do you look for in a friend?

What is something you do well that you are proud of?

Networking Skills

Networking is the ability to connect and work with others.

You can meet new people by:

Introducing yourself to them
Asking them questions about themselves
Finding out what you have in common
Inviting them to spend more time with you
Playing with them at recess or sitting by them at lunch

Data analysis

Data analysis means you can understand trends in data. Data is a collection of information. gathered by observation, questioning or measurement.

When you are in math and science class you are learning about data.

This is a skill you will use later on. For example, if you ran your own YouTube channel, you would want to know how many people visit your site each day and what time of day they visit, so you know when to post in the future.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate information to determine whether it is right or wrong. To think critically about an issue or a problem means to be open-minded and consider alternative ways of looking at solutions.