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Intangibles are just that. They are Intangible. They cannot be measured in experience or certifications. You cannot go to school for intangible qualities and there is no online college degree for it. You won’t see these qualities listed on job posting sites or college information websites. It’s merely a quality one possess, or may develop over time through trial and error. These qualities may help you obtain that job you may just seem to be a bit under qualified for but deep down you know you’d do well given the chance. The intangibles can help you latch onto that opportunity and maybe beat out some intense competition. These three qualities require no skill, no talent and should be incorporated into your repertoire in order to make you a better employee and better armed to succeed.

Part One: Three Intangible Skills Every Success Seeker Needs

The Ability to Be Coached

Being coachable is a skill in its own. The ability to be coached is a quality employers love to hear in an interview process. It is best to bring this to an employers attention if a question arises during the interview that you are unable to answer.

No one can know everything, and employers know that. Being coachable shows an employee that you are a team player. It tells them that you are willing to listen to feedback and digest it in the name of making yourself a better and more valuable employee.

Work Ethic

Work ethic is all about understanding. Having a good work ethic shows an employee you understand the various factors that create a good work ethic. Crafting a well-rounded work ethic shows a level of maturity that could potentially be a determining factor especially with entry-level jobs that usually deal with recent college graduates. Good work ethic is a rare commodity in this branch of the professional world.

Taking passion in the quality of your work is one way to promote good work ethic. Knowing the difference between doing the job and doing the job well is something an employer can take solace in seeing and hearing. Showing an understanding of your responsibilities as well will comfort an employer. This shows you understand your role in the company and how valuable it is. Again, this proves a sense of maturity and promotes a great work ethic. It could just be the difference between you and another candidate in getting the job.

Effort

Effort is essential, its career success 101. Showing effort is another way of proving some key points to your employer. It shows employers you are constantly working to improve and taking pride in what you do. Lacking in effort can put even the most knowledgeable employee on the chopping block. 

Effort allows some slack for you to work with given you do not understand or cannot execute a particular part of your position effectively. Putting in effort shows you have a dedication to being a better employee. Employers know they cannot teach effort or drill it into you with lectures and discipline, so being able to show effort gives you a quality that is unteachable and therefore very valuable.

It has been proven that not always the best candidate gets the job, the promotion, the raise. Sometimes it is the one with the bloated resume and shining credentials. Sometimes it is just all about connections, as I recently showed you. Other times however, it’s underlying factors that may not even be known to all the people involved, but are almost certainly felt even if not on a conscious level. An employers everlasting search for employees will never list such qualities and sometimes nor will they even be aware they are factoring into the final decision. But that is why these are the intangibles and working on them can provide a great boost when you may be lacking in tangible assets such as education and experience.