These 4 Skills Can Help You Work a Standard Schedule

Working holidays and odd hours may help you earn a decent paycheck if you work enough part-time hours. However, if you want a full-time job working a standard schedule from 9 to 5, you might have to up your game with four basic skills that can help you compete with top candidates.

1. Communication

Most establishments follow a standard schedule during the day. Customer-facing employees form the lifeblood of most employers, so great communication skills are essential. You must be ready to interact with customers or help solve a customer's problem at any moment. Take a class or attending training to improve your customer service or communication skills. This way, you understand how to talk to customers when they need something.

2. Organization

All employees need organization skills to help them prioritize tasks throughout each workday. These skills also help out when it comes to finding specific things at a moment's notice. Supervisors must optimize work schedules, while administrative assistants have to keep track of people's appointments and meeting times. Without organization, people who work a standard schedule have no idea what to do next or what happens at any particular moment of the day. Think about a time in your work experience when you helped organize an event or increased your work efficiency. List that on your resume or mention it during an interview to tout your organizational skills.

3. Writing

Clear and concise writing represents an important skill you need if you work a standard schedule You probably need to respond to emails at least a few times per week. Aside from emails, writing on the job may also entail taking meeting notes, creating letters, typing memos or explaining a process in writing to someone and assigning duties for a specific task. If your writing skills aren't the best, consider taking a formal writing class at a local college. The fact is, people with extremely poor writing skills generally don't advance in their careers or make as much money as those who have fantastic writing abilities.

4. Computer Knowledge

Everyone who works a standard schedule must understand how to use a computer. There's more to these technological tools than just pointing and clicking. Microsoft Office products can make your work more organized and show better written communication skills thanks to spelling corrector tools and grammar checkers. Knowing your company's computer system inside and out means you have what it takes to run things without someone else's assistance. Familiarize yourself with various computer programs. Taking a formal class may also help, and there are many cities that offer free computer training at libraries and small colleges.

Working a standard schedule does several things, such as increasing your hours and putting you in front of the company's best workers. Getting to this point with these four basic skills can also increase your chances of getting a promotion in the future, helping you get even more hours and higher pay.

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