There’s no doubt that a solid work ethic and hard work are critical to professional success in the Canadian workplace. But that’s not all that counts. Teams and managers may have other expectations and look for some specific soft skills.
Let’s find out what those are in this interview, wherein New Canadians reporter Shaili Saini speaks with communication coach Gloria Pierre about mindful self-promotion and understanding your boss’s expectations.
Also watch: Tips to help you build healthy co-worker relationships
Video transcript:
Shaili Saini:
Hello everyone. Welcome to New Canadians. Today, we are joined by Gloria Pierre, a communication coach, and with her, we will be discussing some important advice from bosses. Welcome, Gloria.
Gloria Pierre:
Thank you. Thank you.
Shaili Saini:
Gloria, I think it is important for people to understand and know what qualities a boss looks for when hiring someone.
Gloria Pierre:
You will notice that on the job description, [qualities] like trust, integrity, dependability, accountability, and professionalism. During the interview, they will go into details about what exactly those mean, and your answers will reveal whether you are a good fit for that company, whether you are dependable, whether you are exhibiting professionalism, and whether you’re self-motivated and respectful of other people. So when you are preparing for interviews, be conscious that they will be asking those questions and be prepared to give examples of how you can demonstrate that you are that kind of candidate. Who can be trusted, who’s self-motivated, who has integrity, and who is a self-starter.
Shaili Saini:
Alright, so you mentioned self-starter there. My next question revolves around that particular aspect. A boss looks for self-starters, or is he more keen on team players?
Gloria Pierre:
I think you have to be both because in the workplace tasks require you to be both a team player and a self-starter. So if you can, if you have the ability to collaborate with teams, whether it’s for brainstorming sessions, planning, whatever it is, that’s where that quality is very important for the self-starter. There could be tasks that require you to work alone, where you will have to make decisions and work without assistance or without directions. So bosses will look for both.
Shaili Saini:
Another important scenario at the workplace is promotions, and people want to know what’s going on in the boss’s mind. So what other qualities or the checklist that a boss has while promoting?
Gloria Pierre:
The boss will be looking at your relationship with other departments. If you are a self-starter, again, if you’re curious, if you have been doing extra in your position that you have now, if you are interested in learning more, they will also look at your communication skills, your problem-solving skills, and your decision-making skills. They will ask for feedback from your peers, from management, and they will also look at your performance in the job that you have had before making a decision.
Shaili Saini:
So in Canadian job markets, soft skills take you a long way. If we were to name four top skills, what would those be?
Gloria Pierre:
They would be decision-making and innovation. Communication, a growth mindset and professionalism. The growth mindset, I think, is going to be needed now because with the way companies are changing, a growth mindset really is employees who have a growth mindset. They believe that they can be better, they can be more if they work hard, if they have guidance and if they have strategies in place. And just imagine if all the employees in a company have this growth mindset, what would that do for the company? So I think that’s going to be a big skill, a big soft skill.
Shaili Saini:
Absolutely. Any last advice that you would want to give to our viewers?
Gloria Pierre:
Be professional, be respectful. Learn how the other departments work. Don’t only know about your department. Be broad-based because that could be very beneficial to you in the future. In case you are looking for a promotion or transferring to another department, you will have a heads-up on other candidates.
Shaili Saini:
All right. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing these wonderful tips with us.
Gloria Pierre:
You are very welcome.
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