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Business skills are essential for many different types of jobs. After all, they’re a type of personal skill that refers to your work ethic and how you work with others. They are something that is gained with time, maturity, and experience. So while searching for technical skills is a given, employers will also want to see your best personal skills.
If you’re a job seeker looking to show a competitive edge through your business skills, you’re in luck. This article will cover everything you need to know about types of skills in business, as well as provide invaluable business skills examples.
Key Takeaways:
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A good business skills definition is any soft skill that will make you an ideal employee in an business environment.
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Examples of general business skills include communication, management, and finance.
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Examples of specific business skills include interpersonal skills, time management, and problem solving.
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Good business skills result in a healthier, more productive work environment.
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Improve your business skills by finding a mentor, observing others, or taking a class.
What are business skills?
Business skills are a collection of soft skills (as opposed to hard skills) that will make you the ideal employee. Employees with business skills make running day-to-day operations much easier, and these employees are often those who are considered when trying to fill a management position.
These abilities help to minimize hiccups and hang-ups that can negatively affect a business’ capacity to operate smoothly.
Business skills are transferable and can be used by any professional, working at any level, in any industry, to set themselves apart from their colleagues. And they are often the hard-earned skills that employers look for when considering a promotion or a raise.
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Types of business skills
Business skills are necessary to be a business professional, as one must possess a wide variety of soft skills, or skills that are not taught in a classroom format.
Business skills are mainly composed of your style of work, and your proficiency in these skills often determines the amount of responsibility you are assigned, as well as your position in a professional hierarchy.
Gaining these skills is crucial if you want to become the most efficient, capable, and resilient employee you can be:
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Communication. In this day and age, communication skills are foundational to an effective businessperson. Those with refined communication skills are effective and efficient with their words.
They have mastered every type of communication (textual, verbal, nonverbal, etc.) and they know when it is appropriate to use each type.
Having communication skills also means you keep your team in the loop, so everyone has the information they need to do their job best. Disseminating information most productively allows for you to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications, which waste time and cause confusion.
Here are some key types of communication that contribute to your business skills:
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Verbal Communication. Clear and effective expression of ideas through spoken words in conversations, meetings, and presentations.
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Written Communication. Crafting concise and impactful written messages for emails, reports, and documents.
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Active Listening. Attentively understanding and engaging with others’ viewpoints to facilitate better understanding and collaboration.
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Interpersonal Skills. Building and maintaining positive relationships with colleagues, clients, and partners through effective interaction and collaboration.
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Management. Management skills are extremely important and used all over the business, whether you are in a management position or not. Time management is especially essential to being an effective employee.
Being someone with adept management skills allows you to keep your responsibilities under control, as well as the responsibilities of other workers when necessary. You can plan, organize, and implement important strategies, all of which are skills that go a long way toward making your supervisor material.
Here is a list of some key aspects of management that boost your business skills:
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Planning and organization
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Leadership
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Coordination
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Adaptability
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Problem-solving
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Finance. Even if you’re not an accountant or bookkeeper, being aware of things like profitability and costs can allow you to make more informed decisions and set you apart from your coworkers, identifying yourself as someone who analyzes how they can best contribute to the company.
Employers love someone who is always thinking about saving money.
It also allows you to see a bigger picture and consider consequences outside of your current scope, which tells your supervisor that you could be ready for more responsibility and put you in line for a promotion.
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Interpersonal skills. Getting better at your interpersonal skills means practicing emotional intelligence, being an active listener, and having empathy. Talking and working with coworkers, bosses, clients, and even competitors helps you know what’s expected and how you can be helpful.
Being adept at these skills lets you build friendly relationships, which can boost sales, bring in new customers, and grow your connections. This, in turn, makes you a more valuable business asset.
Plus, those with interpersonal skills are also able to repair relationships, which can make you great for customer service or quality assurance roles.
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Organizational skills. Staying organized is necessary when you have work-related responsibilities. Keeping track of due dates, managing timelines, and maintaining a proper filing system are all things that can be very valuable to supervisors.
Being organized increases your dependability and the amount of responsibility you can handle, and therefore is a must-have skill, especially if you are trying for a promotion or a raise.
Organizational skills also allow you to be more adaptable. When a new problem arises, you are going to be more likely to have what you need to face it, rather than scrambling to get your things in order.
An adaptable employee is also valuable, as they become great problem-solvers and can take on any obstacle that may emerge. Taking the time to organize oneself can be a helpful investment and make work easier for you down the road.
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Time management. We’ve all heard the phrase “time is money,” so it makes sense that how you spend your time matters. When you have several different projects with several different deadlines, showing your supervisors and your colleagues that you’re able to get deliverables to them on time is essential.
This means that you have to be aware of how much time you are spending on each project, and sometimes means knowing when to put something in the drawer for later. Time management skills also mean staying organized and prioritizing well.
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Leadership and team-building. In any position, you will most likely need to work with others, so you have to be a team player and not an island. You should know your role within your team well and do your best to fill it.
If you’re a leader of a team, you should understand everyone’s role and how these roles depend on one another. Leaders see the big picture and know how each cog helps the clock tick.
Ideally, each team should be a well-oiled machine, capable of tackling any task thrown at them. Those with team-building skills should be able to identify the abilities of their team members and assign tasks accordingly.
This will help everyone contribute equally to the project and allow for work to get done much quicker.
Effective leaders are those who motivate and direct work efforts, keeping their team focused, on-track, and running smoothly.
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Analysis and problem-solving. Problems are bound to arise in a business, so employers are looking for those with problem-solving and analytical skills.
The ideal employee, when faced with an issue, needs to be able to assess the situation, list possible solutions, identify the pros and cons of each solution, and choose the solution that leads to the best outcome.
This is more easily said than done, of course, but being able to make the tough decisions will make you all the more valuable in a management or leadership position.
Analytical skills can come in handy with negotiating as well since you must assess the risks and rewards of a proposal and then discuss how you can maximize benefits and minimize drawbacks.
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Delegation
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Project management
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Networking
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Negotiation
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Strategic planning
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Marketing
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Research
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Business writing
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Data organization and analysis
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Collaboration
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Empathy
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Find a mentor. A mentor, especially one who is well established, can show you how to improve your skills. They can give you feedback and provide an example of which to follow. They also provide a place for you to ask questions and find direction.
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Observe others. Watching others is a great way to improve your business skills. If they’re good at what they do, you can try to mimic their behavior or find something similar. Watching people with poor business skills can be just as helpful too, because they can show you what not to do!
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Learn. Whether its through independent research and reading, or through taking a course, there are many resources out there to teach you how to improve your business skills.
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Have a growth mindset. Improvement first starts with your mindset. A growth mindset is helpful because it allows you to approach challenges as opportunities and keeps you open to the idea of change.
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Create a healthier work environment. When you have good business skills, you can take on the problems of the day more effectively, you can work with others, and you can achieve your goals.
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Increase engagement and productivity. Business skills lead to more confidence and capability in handling the tasks of your profession. This allows you to work at your best to produce your best.
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Provide stability and accountability. When you and those around you have good business skills, your work takes on a fair and rational approach. This allows you to handle both challenges and success without losing track of progress.
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Open up new opportunities. Good business skills make others happy, whether they are clients, coworkers, or supervisors. When these people are happy, you will find yourself exposed to new ideas and environments.
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Why is it important to know business skills?
Business skills are important to know because they improve your performance in a variety of jobs, from sales to leadership positions. For instance, these skills play vital role in maintaining the smooth operation of an organization. With business skills, you can comprehending how both internal and external factors influence an organization’s achievements, along with the methods used to accomplish business objectives.
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What business skills stand out on a resume?
Our top 3 picks for business skills that stand out on a resume are communication, leadership, and problem-solving. In more detail, here are those skills and why they stand out:
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Communication. Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, are consistently valued across industries. Being able to effectively convey ideas, collaborate with colleagues, and communicate with clients or customers is crucial.
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Leadership Leadership skills demonstrate your ability to guide teams, make decisions, and take charge of projects. Even if you’re not applying for a managerial role, showing leadership potential can make you a valuable asset.
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Problem-Solving. Employers appreciate candidates who can analyze complex situations, identify issues, and come up with effective solutions. Problem-solving skills showcase your critical thinking and decision-making abilities.
Remember, these skills can be adapted and customized based on the job you’re applying for. Always tailor your resume to match the specific requirements and responsibilities of the position.
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Examples of business skills in the workplace
Business skills are vital for many jobs. Communication, management, and finance skills are, in general, what is needed to reach your full potential as an employee. But here are some specific skills you can improve that can make you stand out and can put you on the fast track towards professional success:
Other important business skills
There are many other important business skills, such as:
Tips to improve business skills
Business skills can always be improved. Based on your situation, you may find you need more improvement in some areas than others.
If you want to improve your business skills:
Why are business skills important?
Business skills are important because they contribute to your success as a professional and to the business as a whole.
In particular, well developed business skills are crucial because they:
Business skills FAQ
Final Thoughts
These skills can be just as important as those learned in a classroom setting, as they determine how you work and how well you handle responsibility. Since they cannot be taught to you, you must take tangible steps to develop these abilities and improve your overall value as an employee.
Identifying where you are lacking, reading business and self-help books, watching TedTalks, and attending business seminars are just a few ways that you can start improving your business skills today. Take full advantage of the resources you have available to you.
Mastering these skills will take time, but any employer worth their salt will be able to recognize your efforts and reward you for them.
References
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Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
