Tired of aching feet? 4 Skills to land that desk job

Career Builder

If your feet ache at the end of the day and your back hurts from constantly moving, lifting, or pushing, then it may be time for you to get a desk job. While there are several similarities between desk work and floor work, employers are often looking for a particular set of skills when they interview their candidates. Here are four skills you can highlight on your resume to show that you would be a good hire for a desk job.

4 Skills to Land That Desk Job

1. Time Management

Your manager will expect you to finish certain tasks throughout the day, and oftentimes your co-workers will be waiting for you to complete certain steps before they can take the project and work on it. This is why time management is important. If you spend five hours on a task that should only take an hour or two, then you will slow down the office and quickly get overwhelmed with work.

Time management isn't just the practice of ensuring you set aside enough time to complete tasks, but how you prioritize specific tasks over others. Typically, you might have a list of 10 items and might only be able to complete five or six throughout the day. How do you decide which ones to complete first? What can you do to make sure the incomplete tasks get done early tomorrow? All of these factors deal with time management.

2. Strong Interpersonal Skills

Working in an office typically requires people to have strong interpersonal skills. You will need to work on a team to complete projects and communicate with your manager on a professional level.

Interpersonal skills are also important if your desk job is actually customer-facing. For example, some customer service representatives are able to work from home, but they still have to put on a professional front for the customer. Their interpersonal skills can help build empathy if a customer is calling to complain and help them come up with a positive solution for a negative experience. These skills are invaluable to companies who are trying to retain their customers and protect their brand reputations.

3. Computer Literacy

Computer literacy isn't an optional skill for employees who work at a desk job. Even for positions as office clerks or secretaries, applicants should have a basic working knowledge of:

the internet
email providers like Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Office tools like Word and Excel

This will allow most employees to communicate and complete their day-to-day tasks. If you don't feel like you have a confident grasp of these topics, consider signing up for a class at your local library or learning center. These are typically free or affordable for adults and will give you the basic skills you need.

When you start at a new position, you will probably be trained on unique software tools that the company users and your position in particular need. For example, customer care teams have special software options for identifying customer problems and coming up with solutions. While you don't have to know these skills before you begin, listing relevant software knowledge on your resume can prove to employers that you're trainable and willing to learn.

4. Positive Attitude

More than 86 percent of employers say that they value a positive attitude in their employees. This means that being eager to work and willing to learn new skills can overcome a lack of knowledge about the position.

Hiring is becoming more of a personal experience. Employers know that they will have to work with their employees for 40 hours per week, and if they don't get along, the work will suffer. Similarly, if the new hire doesn't get along with existing employees, there could be office conflict.

The last thing an employer wants is to hire someone who makes their best employees leave because they have a bad attitude and make them hate their jobs. Through past employer recommendations and putting your best foot forward during the interview process, you can increase your chances of conveying a positive attitude and getting a job offer.

It's possible to make the transition from a floor position to a desk job with the right attitude and a determination to improve your skills. By promoting yourself as a team player who can work efficiently, you can assure employers that you will be an asset to the office — even if you don't have the experience they need.