4 Reasons to Improve your Reading, Writing and Numeracy Skills

Like many people, you might feel that your reading, writing and numeracy skills are not as strong as they once were and could use a little tune up. Or perhaps you’re looking to obtain skills that you weren’t able to earlier in life.

Literacy skills involve much more than simply the ability to read. These skills also include how to process information and think critically about it. Those with great literacy skills are good listeners and speakers, and they can view a task objectively and explain it thoroughly to their colleagues.

You don’t have to be Charles Dickens to have great writing skills. A good writer is one who knows how to communicate information effectively through written communication. They know how to sum up information and ensure that it is clear for all readers.

Having great numeracy skills means you feel comfortable with numbers. Those with good numeracy skills may not be the fastest at solving a math problem, but they have fundamental numerical reasoning.

Improving these skills can give your CV the right boost it needs to make it to the top of any employer’s list. Not sure why? Here are four reasons why you should improve reading, writing and numeracy skills to land a better job.

Tackle daily tasks faster
When you’re at the supermarket, how well can you keep a running total in your head? Do you try to add the total of all your items and then find out the total was far more than you anticipated? With so many items in your cart, you may have difficulty keeping track of how much you’re spending, and if you’re on a budget. A few extra items could push you over your limit.

With good numeracy skills, you’ll be better equipped to add up long totals in your head, which will help you keep your budget in check. You’ll also have an easier time at restaurants when you need to split a large bill between friends.

You’ll also be able to write emails and send out information at a faster rate. As a busy individual, you need to send information out in all directions, whether you’re telling your friends where to meet you for drinks later or describing a water leak to your landlord via email. With great writing skills, you’ll find that it is easier to say what you need to communicate in a more fluid manner, thus saving you time throughout your day.

All of these skills are applicable to the workplace, which means you’ll be able to conquer your daily work tasks at a faster rate while maintaining a high quality of work.

Expand your interests
Have you ever looked at a book on quantum physics or thumbed through Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and thought, “I could never read that”? The truth is you can. Though quantum physics may seem intimidating and Lee’s writing is not always straightforward, you can enjoy these texts and learn much more about the world around you.

Like many people, your interests are diverse, and you love to learn about new subjects or topics that interest you, but you might have trouble initially comprehending more difficult texts. With improved reading skills, you’ll learn how to use context clues to help you understand difficult passages, and you’ll improve your vocabulary, so unusual words will seem less intimidating.

Before you know it, you’ll be reading through To Kill a Mockingbird or the complete works of William Shakespeare in no time at all.

Well-rounded individuals are more attractive to employers because they exhibit qualities such as curiosity and independence. They’re more likely to problem solve on their own and have more success when troubleshooting a problem. They don’t need an employer to explain every task; they can apply knowledge from other areas to the task at hand.

Refresh your skillset
When you’ve been out of school for a while, you probably don’t use what you learned as often as you might like. After all, when’s the last time someone asked you to find the slope of a line or read a passage and tell them the theme of it? You may find that your skills are a little rusty, and your CV could use a boost.

While these skills may seem impractical in daily life, they are essential to the workforce. While you may not be asked what the theme of a book is, you will have to be able to comprehend instructions and understand what you need to do in order to complete a task.

Great numeracy skills are sometimes hard to come by. You might have heard your co-workers lament, “I’m no good with maths.” If you can improve your numeracy skills, you’ll be the one everyone comes to when they need help with calculations. Your boss will certainly take notice, and that promotion you’ve been eyeing just might be yours.

Give your CV a boost
As you know, of course, the industry changes and so do you. Having additional schooling on your CV looks great to employers. It shows that you’re dedicated to improving your work, and you want to keep learning, especially for anyone that has been out of school for a while.

The best employees are the ones that never stop improving themselves so taking additional refresher courses shows that you’re committed to keeping your skills sharp. If you feel your skills could use a tune-up, check out the Certificate II in General Education for Adults from Kangan Institute. After completing the course, you’ll feel more confident in your reading, writing and numeracy skills, making you a prime candidate for the job you’ve always wanted.

Who knows? With better reading, writing and numeracy skills, you may be the prime candidate for a lucrative promotion.