What do small businesses look for?
Most employers (whether small business owners or large, corporate businesses) commonly ask for these skills in their job / person specifications.
- Commercial awareness – an understanding of what’s going on in business, and the ability to view situations from a business or commercial perspective and take advantage of it
- Customer or client interaction –dealing with confidential information, delivering excellent customer service, developing a rapport with customers and colleagues
- Organisational skills –time management, planning, prioritising, managing tasks effectively
- Communication skills – this includes verbal/face-to-face and written communication, listening and understanding, dealing with people from all levels within your company
- Problem solving – your ability to analyse information, make judgements, offer solutions and make decisions
- Team working – being able to support and motivate others
- Leadership – being able to motivate yourself, taking initiative and responsibility, delegating tasks effectively, managing budgets or projects, responsibility for purchasing goods/services, managing others (e.g., volunteers)
- Ability to accept feedback – a willingness to learn good practice from more experienced colleagues, and the recognition of the need to accept feedback from customers and investors
- Resilience – an ability to retain a focus when you face challenges
When applying for positions with SMEs (as with any other employer) consider which skills you have and where these have come from, whether part-time work, volunteering, extra-curricular activities or an internship or placement. Have examples ready to talk about. Find out more about skills.
