Do Employers Want Employees With Multiple Job Skills?

Times sure have changed

Times sure have changed. Now it seems employers want employees to be a Jack (or Jill) of all trades. Some are saying they're having a hard time finding skilled workers, but that may be because they want workers who are multi-taskers. And those kind of workers aren't as easy to find.

There's a new trend in hiring. Companies want workers who can handle several different jobs for a number of reasons. For one thing, it cuts down on hiring. Employers say they would rather wait until the right person comes along who has all of the skills they need. Sometimes this means speaking several languages and being proficient at several different jobs. They would rather hire one person to do all of the jobs than hire multiple employees to do each individual job. And they're willing to wait for that perfect person to come along.

This puts a huge burden on those job seekers sending out resumes. Call center workers no longer just answer the phones. Now they also need to be able to sell when customers call in. For example, if customers are calling in to buy a kitchen appliance, the call center operators must be able to convince them to buy a warranty or utensils too.

Another reason to hire people to do multiple jobs is that sometimes employees will have to call in sick. Other employees will need to be able to step in to their jobs and take over temporarily without any disruption in the workday.

Technology is reducing some of the manual labor that used to take more time in the past. That means workers will have more time on their hands and employers want them to use it to do other jobs. This also cuts down on the number of outside consultants that they will need to hire who can be costly.

Single task jobs will become a thing of the past. But that can be a good thing for employers, who can sharpen their skills in different areas. Instead of doing the same boring tasks over and over, they get to cross train and improve their thinking skills. It's a good way to keep you on your toes. Entrepreneurs have to do multiple jobs within their businesses all the time and it forces them to learn about business from the ground up.

Employers say that it can take up to 20% longer to find the right employee, but that it's worth it. A new hire is costly and they are being much pickier about who they bring in. They are looking for people who can pick up new skills quickly and have the potential and enthusiasm to be a multi-tasker rather than just fit the general job description.

by: Julie Austin

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