Antony
Jenkins, chief executive of Barclays Bank, was widely quoted last week saying
that not only do young people need to develop work skills they also need to
develop social skills – social media is no substitute for personal
interaction. Employers want to see your
work skills but they also want to know that you will integrate and collaborate
with colleagues.
He said “There
is absolutely the danger that we will have a lost generation of youngsters if
we do not help them develop the skills they will need for the new world of
work......how to shake someone’s hand, look them in the eye and hold your
shoulders back.”
Number One
Daughter and family live in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and
everyone shakes hands. From your guests
and their children, your host and their children, the plumber and electrician –
anyone who comes through the door to your home and everyone in the home or
office you visit. Everyone you encounter will shake your hand on arriving and
leaving and the children shake hands with each other too. (That is unless you
are friends in which case – three kisses – left, right, left.)
Body
language is so important: I remember some years back working for a specialist
employment agency where one of my roles was to recruit our own support
staff. The person who handed the job
over to me advised me to “watch candidates walk to and from the lift – if they
walk slowly, don’t hire them, they will never stand the pace”. Not sure how you would square that with HR these
days but she was surprisingly accurate.
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