First in a two-part series
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. The doctor, the
lawyer, the chief engineer. No matter our occupations, each of us
needs skills or knowledge of specific subjects in order to do our
jobs successfully. In a recent poll, Gallup asked employed adults
how important various subject areas or skills are to their success
at work.
Gallup gave respondents a list of 13 work-related skills and
subject areas and asked them to rate each one as "critical," "very
important," "somewhat important" or "not too important" to their
ability to do their jobs successfully. Standing far above the rest
are "skills in dealing with people" and "critical-thinking skills,"
each rated as "critical" to their job success by half of employed
Americans (more than 8 in 10 employed adults say these are critical
or very important).
While employee-training workshops, adult education classes, and
university courses in these areas abound, they may be a bit more
difficult to learn in a classroom setting. In fact, one of the
reasons people skills and critical-thinking skills are prized so
highly in the workplace is because they are not easily learned. As
Gallup has documented in numerous studies (see Now, Discover
Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Don Clifton)
consistently outstanding performance in such areas as communication
and analytical thinking require some degree of inherent talent.
Below the top two skills on the list are areas that are endemic
to nearly every type of work -- basic computing (65%), reading
speed or comprehension (61%), writing ability (57%), and basic math
(56%). Less than half of employed Americans cite the importance of
skills that are specific to more specialized fields, such as
advanced mathematics, artistic skills, and physical strength.
Mars and Venus
While employed men and women basically agree on the relative
value to their own jobs of most of the skills and subject areas
listed, several areas are valued somewhat more highly by women than
men. However, it should be noted that these ratings may reflect in
part the nature of the respondents' jobs and as well as possible
gender differences. For example, employed women assign greater
importance to basic and advanced use of computers and reading speed
and comprehension in their jobs than employed men do.
Deborah Tannen, author of several definitive books on the
differences in interpersonal communication styles between men and
women, writes in Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work,
"Conversational rituals common among women are often ways of
maintaining an appearance of equality, taking into account the
effect of the exchange on the other person, and expending effort to
downplay the speakers' authority so they can get the job done
without flexing their muscles in an obvious way." This may explain,
in part, why women deem reading and computer use more important --
they may view these abilities as essential communication tools with
which to hone their people skills.
On the other hand, jobs requiring "scientific knowledge" or
"physical strength" have traditionally been dominated by males, as
reflected in the finding that fewer women than men say these are
critical to success in their jobs.
Bottom Line
People value the skills that are the most broadly admired by
employers. It's impossible to read the classified ads without
coming across certain words and phrases over and over again. A
recent New York Times classified ad is typical: "The ideal
candidate will have the ability to communicate effectively, possess
excellent business written and oral skills, have proficient PC
skills. In addition, the candidate must be motivated, able to work
independently, think creatively, and successfully interact with all
levels of management and staff."
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 588 adults
employed full or part time, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug. 4-6,
2003. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one
can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is
±4 percentage points.
