Looking to nail your panel interview? Find out what the top 5 skills employers are looking for in 2024 AND how to demonstrate them in an interview.
As the professional landscape continues to evolve, the demands placed on employees are shifting. Employers, now more than ever, are prioritising skills over experience, seeking individuals with diverse skill sets to navigate the complexities of an ever-changing job market.
So what skills are employers looking for in 2024?
You guessed it, they centre around adaptability and responsibility. Let’s take a look at what employers are looking for and how you can demonstrate these skills in a job interview.
1. Digital Literacy
In the dynamic world of work, digital literacy is paramount. The pandemic saw a surge in the digital way of doing business, which is now the norm. Employers are seeking candidates who not only understand but can also leverage digital tools and technologies to excel in their roles.
How to demonstrate Digital Literacy in an interview
During an interview, share specific instances where your digital literacy played a crucial role in achieving results. Discuss projects or tasks where you utilised digital tools, navigated software efficiently, or implemented technology to streamline processes.
Even if you’re not specifically asked a question about your digital literacy, it’s important to ‘weave’ your digital proficiency into your response. For example, you might be answering a question about your communication skills, be sure to also touch on the digital tools and strategies that you use to ensure effective communication with your team.
2. Adaptability and Resilience
The ability to adapt and rebound from setbacks remains crucial. Change is a constant force in most modern workplaces, and employers value employees who can innovate and overcome obstacles to achieve results.
How to demonstrate Adaptability and Resilience in an interview
Even if the question isn’t specifically aimed at assessing your adaptability and resilience, choose examples that highlight your ability to overcome challenges and setbacks to highlight this ability.
Discuss specific instances where you faced resistance, experienced setbacks, or even failed but bounced back stronger. Emphasise your ability to regroup and carry on, showcasing your resilience in the face of adversity.
3. Emotional Intelligence
In 2024, employers place a premium on emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ is highly valued because it has a significant and positive influence on teamwork, leadership, stakeholder engagement, innovation and overall workplace dynamics.
How to demonstrate Emotional Intelligence in an interview
EQ interview questions can be sneaky; they’re often less direct and more abstract questions about your self-awareness and communication skills. These questions can often be about a failure, a conflict, or negative experiences. The key here is to be aware that these questions are assessing your EQ, and you shouldn’t shy away from these questions. Check out our YouTube Video "What is your greatest weakness?" How to Answer This Interview Question for more information on answering these types of interview questions.
The key to demonstrating your emotional intelligence in an interview, regardless of the question, is to use your responses to showcase your self-awareness. Discuss times when you identified personal strengths and weaknesses, aligned your values with organisational goals, or demonstrated empathy in decision-making. Highlight your ability to navigate situations with a high level of emotional intelligence.
4. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Critical thinking is a cornerstone skill in the modern workplace.
Critical thinking is the ability to make clear, reasoned judgements based on interpreting, understanding and applying evidence gathered from observation, reading and experimentation1.
How to demonstrate Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving in an interview
During interviews, share specific examples where you applied critical thinking to analyse situations and solve problems. Discuss instances where your decision-making contributed to innovative solutions or outcomes. Illustrate how your critical thinking skills positively impacted projects or tasks.
5. Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication and collaboration skills are indispensable. Regardless of the role type or skill level, communication and collaboration are the cornerstone of high-functioning teams and are necessary to achieve results.
How to demonstrate Teamwork in an interview
The first step is to understand what type of communication skills are needed in the role you’re applying for. Do you need negotiation skills, the ability to effectively communicate under pressure, conflict resolution skills, high-level written communication skills, interpersonal communication skills or active listening skills? Each different role will require different communication skills.
In interviews, use examples that showcase the particular style of communication skill needed, articulating the specific skills you used and the outcome or impact of these skills. Discuss situations where you successfully collaborated with others to achieve common goals. Emphasise your ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written form, and highlight your positive contributions to collaborative efforts.
Something else to keep in mind when showing off your skills in an interview:
Don’t wait for the interviewer to specifically ask about one of these skills for you to demonstrate it; layer these skills into every answer (where relevant).
When you’re answering a question about a time you failed, talk about adaptability and resilience.
When talking about your understanding of the role, weave in your ability to collaborate and communicate.
When talking about your skills, achievements and strengths, talk about your ability to problem-solve and think critically.
When describing a time you responded to and overcame a problem, talk about how you utilised your communication skills.
When retelling a time that you had to deal with interpersonal conflict, explain how you demonstrated EQ to successfully navigate the situation.
The key to successfully demonstrating the skills employers want, is to be alert to opportunities to weave examples into your responses where there’s a link.
So in summary:
In the fast-paced environment of 2024, employers are on the lookout for candidates equipped with digital literacy, adaptability, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and strong communication and collaboration skills. As you navigate the job market, remember to seamlessly integrate these skills into your application documents and interview responses, providing tangible examples that demonstrate your readiness for the challenges of the future.
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Nikki Paterson 
