It’s no big secret that when the job market is down, employers have the upper hand.  If you’re one of the many people in New York who’ve been able to hold onto their current jobs, there’s a good chance you’re still feeling the heat of a possible layoff.  These are the times when you want to shine the most –  show that you’re a team player — let’s be proactive and focus on that synergy, people!  Let’s face it:  if there ever was a time to be “that guy”, the time is probably now.

So instead of lecturing you on the importance of due diligence, we’re going to recommend you execute a little multitasking:  brush up on the technical skills and kiss a little bit of ass.  To help you out, we’ve picked out the five most basic (and crucial) skills to master during this economic meltdown.

1. Above Average Computer Skills – Everyone under the age of 50 knows how to operate a computer, but surprisingly not everyone knows how to run a quick virus scan or even download the latest version of a specific software.  Even when there’s a delegated IT person, it’s still a huge relief when an employee knows how to take care of these issues on their own.  This isn’t rocket science, but in the eyes of an employer, you are saving them time and money spent on a professional.

2. Effective Speaking – This is all about basic communications and knowing how to verbally relate information to people.  For instance, say you have a boss who never takes responsibility for their mistakes and likes to be recognized constantly for their contributions.  You bring a suggestion for a better methodology to their attention, but since it undermines the system that they put in place, they immediately dismiss it.  By bringing skillful wordplay into the picture, you would focus on the ways in which it will enhance their current method.  The impact is always in the delivery.

3.  Research – Employers want to know that you have the ability to dig below the surface.  It could be an in depth question about the history of a certain client or as simple as your boss wanting to know how to use the “add” function in Excel.  If you don’t know the answer, Google it.  This works way too many times.

4. Writing – Your level of writing skill directly correlates into how people view you.  Think about receiving an email from someone you’ve never met.  If it’s concise, grammatically correct, and generally well written, you’d probably envision the person who wrote it being well put together and smart.  If they’re using 2 as a preposition, you’d probably imagine some idiot on a Sidekick.  The way we present ourselves on paper says a lot to employers about our intelligence and general capabilities.  Perfecting your writing skills is as easy as practicing — the more you write, the better you get.

5. Excel – This is the only specific program on the list — and for good reason.  It is the mother of all business programs because of it’s simplistic design and practically endless capabilities.  There’s a reason bankers slave away on their beloved spreadsheets for 16 hours a day — it’s a powerful program that allows you to do a lot of different things (like performing simple math in the margin of a budget while organizing a database of clients on the next sheet) which can be utilized in almost any industry.  It’s not the easiest thing to learn, but there are plenty of How-to books, and generally just playing around with the functions can teach you quite a bit.

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