Make Your Career Recession-Proof with these Overlooked Skills

After a long period of job growth, what a lot of working people have feared has finally come. Dubbed as the coronavirus recession or The Great Shutdown, the current economic decline has led to the unemployment rate potentially climbing as high as 15% in the coming years.

A lot of people would inevitably lose their job as a result. That said, workers are now advised to start developing skills that will help them expand their employment prospects even during the recession.

The focus now should be honing one’s ‘soft skills’ as opposed to just developing technical proficiency and knowledge. Mastering the former skill set can help make an employee indispensable in the workplace and keep their career right on track despite the circumstances.

More Energy, More Power

IgorTishenko/Deposit Photos — Exuding energy encourages other people to follow you

Energy is one of the vital soft skills one should develop. Having more energy gives one the ability to further influence, engage, and even educate in the workplace.

The skill entails one to be emotionally committed to whatever their message is and be enthusiastic about what they do. After all, believing one’s own message will make their audience do so as well.

However, people should also know the limits of energy, especially high energy. Pay close attention to how other people react to know whether their vibing off one’s energy or being deflated by too much of it.

Embodying Authority

fizkes/Shutterstock — Authority involves giving off a competent and commanding air in the workplace

Giving off an authoritative presence is another soft skill people should try to develop. It’s the one thing that a lot of successful individuals, from politicians to business people, have in common.

The most important components of authority are body language, presence, voice, detachment, and dress. Workers can start by paying attention to the quality of their voice and speech, making sure that they speak with purpose and in a proper manner.

Don’t underestimate the power of improving one’s physical appearance when it comes to how one stands and dresses.

Cultivating Warmth

K.Klimenko/Deposit Photos — Warmth also involves being able to build trust with colleagues

Of course, one does not need to be an unfeeling and robotic figure to succeed in their field. Warmth is also a soft skill that workers should cultivate.

This means showing empathy, attentiveness, humility, and vulnerability to others. Being able to do this would allow one to create genuine and effective connections to better communicate their message to others.

Once again, don’t neglect to pay attention to signals like how one is received by coworkers and if they feel free to challenge one’s ideas.