November 10, 2020, by Abigail Rowse

4 Leadership Qualities to Stand Out in the Pandemic Job Market

By Nimisha Jain, BSc Finance, Accounting and Management

“The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis” – Brian Tracy

The true impact of the pandemic on businesses and graduate employment is still filtering through and will vary across sectors. But we can take action now to become better leaders and to boost our employability in the current job market.

I’m a member of AIESEC, a global youth-led organisation. AIESEC have identified four leadership development qualities which can help you to stand-out with your future career:

1. Self-Awareness  

Due to increased competition in the job market, we have to be proactive in understanding who we are and what we have to offer. Without truly understanding this, how can we begin to honestly share this with another during the selection process? With self-awareness, we can identify our strengths and create clear strategies to overcome our shortcomings. Learning to ask yourself simple questions like ‘Why do I want this?’ or ‘What is one thing I could change in my routine to make me more effective?’ can have a huge positive impact. 

2. World Citizen   

Being a world citizen means embracing different cultures and taking ownership of all global issues. Working environments are highly diverse in cultures and opinions, especially in the UK, so you’ll want to learn the best way to build a strong team despite these differences. Having interests in volunteering on global issues can build a really strong first impression, allowing recruiters to imagine how you’ll perform in their company’s culture. 

3. Empowering Others   

 The weakened job market is affecting us all, but we can collaborate to overcome it together. To meet the expectations of clients and customers, students need to develop leadership and empower each other to work towards a common goal. Effective interaction with colleagues is essential. Otherwise, gaps in communication can lead to poor management of tasks and therefore affect the team’s overall performance.

4. Solution-Oriented   

Your mindset is your most important tool for achieving a goal. When you encounter a negative situation, the ability to react by analysing and implementing the solution is the key to dealing with a situation. An optimistic mindset is contagious within a team and can empower others to find their own solutions too. This not only provides good results, but keeps your team’s mental wellbeing in a good state too. 

Leadership development qualities such as those listed above are important in any climate but are especially essential now during the pandemic. Why not have a look at AIESEC to find out more about the leadership qualities and how you can get involved?

There are other ways that you can look at developing your skills and improving your self-awareness. 

• The University’s online learning engine, magpie, helps you develop your essential career skills tailored to you.
• Our toolkit on building your self-awareness has useful advice and activities to help you reflect on who you are and what you want from your future career. 

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