Organizational skills

Companies often search for quality employees who possess strong organizational skills which
tend to be most effective when rooted in your daily routine. You can build these skills using
practice and self-discipline. Once you develop organizational skills, you can begin using
them regularly to form a permanent habit and achieve greater success at work. 

In this article, we define and provide examples of essential organizational skills. We also
discuss how to highlight and communicate your organizational skills to employers, both in
your resume and in interviews. Plus, we’ll show you how to develop and use organizational
skills to help increase your productivity in the workplace long-term.

What are organizational skills?

Organizational skills are competencies you can use to establish structure and order in your
daily life. They can help you work more efficiently and effectively and, as a result, increase
your productivity and performance. When an employee displays strong organizational skills
in the workplace, it typically means they also have a strong aptitude for time management,
goal setting and understanding how to meet their objectives.

Why are organizational skills important?

People with strong organizational skills are essential to help a business function successfully
by ensuring operational efficiency. These skills are needed in the workplace to increase
productivity and ensure company goals are consistently met. 

Organizational skills are also foundational in that they often support the growth and
development of other proficiencies such as critical thinking and communication. People with
sharp organizational skills may also receive promotional opportunities, leadership roles or
higher-level responsibilities. 

Examples of organizational skills

While there is a broad range of organizational skills, most fall into one of two categories—
physical or reasoning. It’s a good idea to use both reasoning and physical organizational
skills in conjunction since they’re both integral to achieving goals.

Physical organizational skills

Physical organizational skills generally pertain to keeping a tidy workspace (physical and
virtual) and orderly work habits. For instance, if you attend a project planning meeting, you
could demonstrate organizational skills by taking clear notes during the meeting, saving them
in a designated place where you can easily refer back to them and making appropriate
updates to a corresponding project timeline. Some examples of physical organizational skills
in the workplace include:

Documentation
Documenting meetings, as described in the example above, is important. You might also
document the progress of a project, new ideas when they come to you, personal and
professional goals or your to-do list. Documenting valuable information like this, whether it
be in writing, photos or voice or video recordings can help you meet deadlines and solve
future problems.

Filing

You could primarily deal with digital files, emails or paper documents. Regardless, having
designated folders or drives where you save important information can help you move
quickly and be more proactive at work. For example, if your manager were to ask about the
status of a project you’re working on, you could quickly locate documents and timelines to
give them an accurate update.

Record keeping

Recording business transactions or events in a systematic way is also a crucial skill,

especially when working with clients, vendors or direct reports. This can help you and other
collaborators set clear expectations, track accountability and plan for the future. 

Orderliness

Decluttering your physical and virtual space can often help you declutter your thoughts as
well. When you have an organized state of mind, you typically have more clarity to analyze
problems and make decisions.

Reasoning organizational skills

Organizational skills related to reasoning and critical thinking can help you solve problems,
plan projects, collaborate better and much more. These skills are attractive to employers
because they demonstrate your dynamic qualities as an employee. Examples of organizational
skills that involve reasoning include:

Analytical

Your ability to conduct research, sort data, swiftly process findings and come to a sound
conclusion requires strong organizational skills.

Collaboration

It also takes organizational skills to work harmoniously with others on your team when you
may have to schedule and run meetings, assign or take on new responsibilities, set
expectations or track deliverables.

Communication Organized communication is necessary to work effectively with colleagues

whether they are direct reports, managers or clients. Communicating ideas thoughtfully and
coherently can ensure they are well-received and help you avoid inefficiencies like
misinterpretation.

Planning

Another organizational skill is deciding what actually needs to be done, when it needs to be
done, then planning that process. This involves understanding deadlines and working
backward to map out prioritize each task along the way.

Delegation

You can also hone the skill of deciding who is the best person to do each task,
communicating the assignment to them and helping them track their progress. Delegation is
an important organizational skill that allows us to achieve more in less time. 

Time Management Another part of organizational skills is understanding how to scope the
amount of time a certain task should take. This allows you to plan your daily schedule and
use your time efficiently. It also supports a better work-life balance.

Below are more examples of organizational skills that employers value and that could also
help you succeed at work. It can be easier to develop these skills once you start building a
strong organizational routine:

 Strategy
 Leading or managing teams

 Conflict Management

Critical Thinking

Problem Solving

 Attention To details

How to communicate organizational skills to employers

During the hiring process, employers will observe your reasoning and physical organizational
skills to evaluate the level of your proficiency. It’s important to convey both types of this
skill so interviewers and hiring managers can understand your full potential.

Discuss your organizational skills during an interview

Show your physical organizational skills during an interview by arriving on time Dress neatly
taking notes and asking thoughtful questions  
This also comes into play when you give your answers. When preparing for an interview,
organize your talking points using the STAR Technique  so interviewers can understand your
answers and get an idea of how you communicate ideas.

Display your organizational skills that involve reasoning when describing what you actually
did and how you accomplished your goals. For instance, did you create or implement a new
process that helped your team exceed metrics? Did you take the lead on a project or organize
an event that increased brand awareness for your company?

How to develop and use strong organizational skills

To create a habit of strong organizational skills, it’s often essential to develop them and
gradually apply them to your workday routine over time. Once this is done, you may notice
an increase in efficiency throughout your projects and routine that you can eventually scale.
Here are a few ways to develop organizational skills that you can use regularly at work.

1. Create a clean workspace.

2. Identify goals to meet.
3. Build a to-do list.
4. Prioritize each task.
5. Input tasks into a schedule.
6. Organize your materials.
7. Reward yourself regularly.
8. Maintain a healthy work-life balance.