We all know it’s a very scary world out there. With COVID-19 taking over most of our 2020 (ugh), it’s no wonder kitorang takut pasal masa depan. This pandemic has made it hard or almost impossible to imagine planning for a career or a first job right now.
A first job has never been easy
Even pre-pandemic, memang young people have always had a hard time being employed. As it is right now, 73 million youth are currently unemployed.
Tbh, youth employment has always been an issue: as technology changes, skills in demand also change. This means that some jobs will disappear, but there will also be many new jobs. Think about it like this, until about 10 years ago there were no jobs such as being a Grab driver, app developer, or even social media manager.
But all is not lost: there are some skills yang tak lapuk dek hujan!
And developing these skills is crucial for every youth right now. This is probably why even this year’s theme for World Youth Skills Day (which happens every July 15th) is “Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond”.
So if you’re worried pasal kerja and being able to land your first job, now or 2 years from now or whenever, these skills can help you land that gig walaupun job market berubah.
Land that first job with these skills
If you were a character in a video game, these skills are side quests that will help you level up to defeat the big boss – the big boss in this case being unemployment.
1. Complex Problem Solving
Complex problems are problems you can solve in any way you think is possible. And trust – in your first job, you’re gonna need to solve problems on a day-to-day basis! You can train your complex solving skills by playing logic-based games or train it by using mind maps! I find it easier to write everything down, so it doesn’t feel like I’m clogging up my head space and I can see the problem clearly.
2. Thinking Creatively
This actually is kinda linked to yang kat atas tu! I’m sure you’re thinking that being creative isn’t a problem; after all, we all took seni in school! But being able to think creatively will help you generate lots of new ideas at work, which is always a good thing. So don’t be scared to think out of the box and get weird.
3. Effective Communication
When you’re working in a group, what is the most important thing to do? Communicate lah! Effective communication means being able to talk to people well so that they have no problem understanding you. And really, no matter what industry you’re in, being able to talk (and listen!) to people will always be a skill you’ll need!
4. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is being able to understand what you’re feeling. I mean, work can get stressful! So being in full control of your emotions, will help you stay cool, calm and collected no matter what problems arise at work. Emotional intelligence is also about listening to people – not just their ideas, but their feelings too. This is what makes a great team player!
5. Digital Skillzzzz
I’m not talking about your ‘gram game… or am I? With internet and technology constantly evolving, knowing your way around computers and social media can make you really invaluable! Loads of industries and businesses have made digitisation a priority, lagilah sejak MCO ni. So now’s really a great time to brush up on social media management, web design, coding, IT, etc. Let your nerd flag fly!
6. Collaboration
Working with people can be hard – all of us have our own flaws and we’re not perfect. At your first job, you’re gonna have to work with a new group of people and everyone might have different ideas and different ways of doing things. It’s very important to learn how to cooperate with one another. If you’re ever in doubt about how to make it work, go back to the mind maps but this time, get everyone involved!
7. Entrepreneurship
Ideas are great but knowing how to turn them into action is even better! Having entrepreneurial skills ekcheli means being not just a go-getter but also a doer who can make anything work. This skill of knowing how to make something out of nothing is also how many youths in lower income countries get by due to there being fewer jobs for them.
Though there’s a lot of worry and uncertainty now, know that it’s very normal to worry about these things. Everyone worries about the very first day at work, even if it’s not your first job! What you can do to help yourself prepare for the working world is to keep upskilling. Learn new things and improve on those you already have to prep you for what comes next!
You can turn to websites such as Coursera and Udemy that have lots of different online courses for anything from business to music. You can even pick up coding from code.org if you’d like to learn a new technical skill. Tuning in to TED Talk is also a good idea expose yourself to new ideas and discoveries.
Just make sure you bring your best self every day and you’ll be employee of the month in no time.
