Why do top level managers need conceptual skills?

There are several ways you can show hiring managers that you possess conceptual skills during the application and interview process. These ways include:

On your resume

When including conceptual skills on your resume, consider the specific skills that most apply to the job you’re interested in. Include these skills in the skills section of your resume. You can also mention your conceptual skills throughout your work history descriptions. Mention specific examples of how these skills brought about results at work.

For example, you could say, ‘solved high employee turnover rate by implementing various employee benefit programs that increased employee retention by 15% over the course of a year.’ This shows that you were able to solve a complex problem (high employee turnover) with an innovative solution (employee benefit programs).

On your cover letter

You can also highlight your conceptual skills in the body of your cover letter. Choose one or two conceptual skills that are most relevant to the position your applying for and provide an example of when you used these skills at work for each.

In an interview

During an interview, hiring managers may ask questions that allow you to highlight your conceptual skills. For example, an interviewer may ask you to provide a solution to a hypothetical issue. Spend time preparing for these types of questions before the interview to ensure you’re prepared to answer them.

You can also mention your conceptual skills related to the job you’re interviewing for by providing examples of quantifiable results achieved with these skills in your previous positions.

Business owners are entrepreneurs until they become managers. When they become managers, they will feel frustrated because they will need to deal with new problems like managerial problems. And management is not a simple task. It needs knowledge and experience.

Because of that, there is the existence of hierarchy, organisational structure and possibilities for each organizational member with adequate knowledge, experience and skills to move from the bottom to the middle and top level of the managerial pyramid.

What are managerial skills?

Simply, managerial skills are the knowledge and ability of the individuals in a managerial position to fulfil some specific management activities or tasks. This knowledge and ability can be learned and practiced. However, they also can be acquired through practical implementation of required activities and tasks. Therefore, you can develop each skill through learning and practical experience as a manager.

When we talk about managerial skills, we talk about the skills of a manager to maintain high efficiency in the way how his or her employees complete their everyday working tasks. Because of that, managers will need skills that will help them to manage people and technology to ensure an effective and efficient realisation of their working duties.

Types of managerial skills

Robert Katz identifies three types of skills that are essential for a successful management process:

  • Technical skills

  • Conceptual skills

  • Human or interpersonal management skills

Technical skills

As the name of these skills tells us, they give the manager knowledge and ability to use different techniques to achieve what they want to achieve. Technical skills are not related only for machines, production tools or other equipment, but also they are skills that will be required to increase sales, design different types of products and services, market the products and services, etc.

Technical skills are most important for first-level managers. Whet it comes to the top managers, these skills are not something with high significance level. As we go through a hierarchy from the bottom to higher levels, the technical skills lose their importance.

Conceptual skills

Conceptual skills present knowledge or ability of a manager for more abstract thinking. That means he can easily see the whole through analysis and diagnosis of different states. In such a way they can predict the future of the business or department as a whole.

Conceptual skills are vital for top managers, less critical for mid-level managers and not required for first-level managers. As we go from the bottom of the managerial hierarchy to the top, the importance of these skills will rise.

 

Human or interpersonal managerial skills

Human or interpersonal management skills present a manager’s knowledge and ability to work with people. One of the most critical management tasks is to work with people. Without people, there will not be a need for the existence of management and managers.

These skills enable managers to become leaders and motivate employees for better accomplishments. Additionally, they help them to make more effective use of human potential in the company. Simply, they are essential skills for all hierarchical levels in the company.

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Conceptual skills help employees avoid the pitfall of not “seeing the forest for the trees,” as the saying goes. If you possess conceptual skills, you can both envision problems and brainstorm solutions. Having these skills likely means that you're a creative type, and can work through abstract concepts and ideas. 

Employers value conceptual skills, and in some roles, having them is essential. 

Find out more about the various varieties of conceptual skills, and why they're important. 

Conceptual skills allow someone to see how all the parts of an organization work together to achieve the organization’s goals. 

They're essential for leadership positions, particularly upper-management and middle-management jobs. Managers need to make sure everyone working for them is helping to achieve the company’s larger goals. Rather than just getting bogged down in the details of day-to-day operations, upper and middle managers also need to keep the company’s “big picture” aims in mind.

However, conceptual skills are useful in almost every position. 

Even when you have a particular list of duties, it is always helpful to know how your part fits into the broader goals of your organization. Plus, if you have conceptual skills, you can tackle big challenges that come up for your team and devise creative and thoughtful solutions that go beyond fulfilling rote tasks. 

Take a look at this list of the most important conceptual skills sought by most employers. It also includes sublists of related skills that employers tend to seek in job applicants.

Develop and emphasize these abilities in job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews. 

You can use these skills lists throughout your job search process. Insert the soft skills you’ve developed into your resume when you detail your work history, and highlight your conceptual abilities during interviews. 

A very important conceptual skill is the ability to analyze and evaluate whether a company is achieving its goals and sticking to its business plan. Managers have to look at how all the departments are working together, spot particular issues, and then decide what steps need to be taken.

  • Analytical abilities
  • Analysis and diagnosis of complex situations
  • Cognitive abilities
  • Defining strategies for reaching goals
  • Diagnosing problems within the company
  • Forecasting for the business or department
  • Questioning the connection between new initiatives and the strategic plan
  • Recognizing opportunities for improvement
  • Seeing the key elements in any situation
  • Selecting important information from large data sets
  • Understanding relationships between departments
  • Understanding relationships between ideas, concepts, and patterns
  • Understanding the organization’s business model

Without strong communication skills, an employee won’t be able to share their solutions with the right people. Someone with conceptual skills can explain a problem and offer solutions. They can speak effectively to people at all levels in the organization, from upper management to employees within a specific department. 

People with conceptual skills are also good listeners. They have to listen to the needs of the employers before devising a plan of action.

  • Active listening
  • Communication
  • Contextualizing problems
  • Effectively communicating strategy
  • Implementing thinking
  • Interpersonal
  • Interrelational
  • Presentational
  • Verbal communication

People with conceptual skills must be very creative. They must be able to devise creative solutions to abstract problems, which involves thinking outside of the box. They must consider how all the departments within an organization work together, and how they can work to solve a particular problem.

  • Abstract thinking
  • Being open-minded 
  • Creative thinking
  • Examining complex issues
  • Formulating ideas
  • Formulating processes
  • Innovation
  • Intuitive thinking
  • Organization

Someone with conceptual skills also has strong leadership skills. They need to convince employees and employers to follow their vision for the company. They need to inspire others to trust and follow them, and that takes strong leadership.

  • Commitment to achieving company goals
  • Delegation
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Motivation
  • Persuasiveness
  • Stability
  • Strategic planning
  • Task direction
  • Task implementation
  • Team building
  • Vision
  • Visualizing the company as a whole

Once an employee analyzes a situation and identifies a problem, they then have to decide how to solve that problem. People with conceptual skills are good at solving problems and making strong, swift decisions that will yield results.

  • Able to ignore extraneous information
  • Broad thinking
  • Critical thinking
  • Breaking down a project into manageable pieces
  • Decision making
  • Executing solutions
  • Formulating effective courses of action
  • Logical thinking
  • Multitasking
  • Prioritization
  • Resolving industry problems

  • Conceptual skills allow you to foresee issues, brainstorm solutions, and understand the strategic big picture behind a company's day-to-day operations. 
  • Possessing conceptual skills is particularly important for people in managerial roles, but they're helpful if you're in any role. 
  • Include relevant types of conceptual skills in your resume and cover letter. Plus, use skills keywords during your job interviews. Be prepared to give examples of how you've used each one.