Over the past two decades, business administration has always been an interesting major for many undergraduate and postgraduate students, especially in the context of booming global trade, entrepreneurship and business. During the learning process, besides the knowledge of management acquisition, to have more chances of success in the working environment, students majoring in Business Administration need more skills than just management.

By understanding the skills that employers are looking for, business administration graduates can confidently enter the global labour market, increase their competitive advantages and achieve success. Here are the 5 BA skills that all recruiters are seeking in their potential candidates

1. Communication skills

One of the most important skills of any future manager or sales rep is communication skills. According to a 2016 survey conducted in the United States, communication skills are rated as the most important soft skill (accounting for 57.9%).

Seemingly simple things like answering emails or making phone calls can be very difficult. Many students lack skills in writing emails, answering phones and communicating with business partners.

Especially in business activities and operations, successful negotiations are all due to good communication skills. Good communication will help speakers and listeners receive information in the most coherent and fastest way.

2. Computer skills

Employers often appraise candidates with a good information technology background, especially those proficient in Microsoft office. Business administrators must know how to use programs in the Microsoft Office suite like Word, Excel or Powerpoint.

Although we are already in the 4.0 technology era, believe it or not, some young people still lack basic technology skills due to insufficient facilities. So, if you’re still not familiar with these applications, take a local or online course. Once you’ve mastered these apps, everyday tasks in the office will become a lot easier.

In addition to basic computer skills, with our experience in management training, we also often encourage students to learn more about how to manage databases. In large organisations, databases are extremely important. Organising and managing data is an important business administration skill.

From working with spreadsheets to managing online and offline storage systems, well-managed data helps optimise processes and improve productivity.

3. Time management skill

Learning how to manage and allocate time effectively is one of the most important skills to have. You can practice this skill by writing a list of all the tasks you need to do for the day, allocating a value of time to each task, and setting three important goals to accomplish during the day.

For example, organising and responding to emails in the morning (60 minutes), booking meeting rooms and lunches (30 minutes), and more. When you allocate time for each task, you will know exactly what you need to do during the day.

In addition, reasonable time management skill will help large and small businesses maximize their time to develop their business, know the priority of each task and achieve their goals quickly. When business administrators manage their time properly, businesses can embrace new opportunities and sustainably grow their businesses.

4. Problem Solving

Employers and businesses are always looking for managers with good problem-solving skills because it helps them see a range of related skills such as logical thinking, creativity, resilience, etc. This is an important skill not only for managers but for everyone.

People with good problem-solving skills are proactive in thinking and always complete the assigned work. They are the ones who come up with new ideas, new ways of doing things, saving time and money for both businesses and customers.

5. Planning and research skills in Business Administration

Planning and research skills are the ability to set goals and know how to prioritise tasks to meet those goals. Simultaneously, good planning can also help future managers better manage their time, leading to versatility when working on multiple projects simultaneously.

Planning and research skills are essential for business administration graduates. Students with good planning and research skills can identify problems that hinder performance or the ability to complete tasks, identify target customers’ needs to meet those demands better using better strategies and tactics.

At the Business Administration programs offered in The Swiss Institute of Management and Innovation in Zug, Switzerland, in addition to academic knowledge, we also prepare students with the above skills at the Bachelor level. 

After participating in the program, the internship offered to students in Switzerland and Europe and the above skills will help graduates easily find a job, stay to work in Switzerland and Europe or have more chances of success as a manager in the future come.

Source: The Swiss Institute of Management and Innovation