6 of the Most Desirable Skills to Help you Land a Job in 2018
There are a number of career-related skills that remain important across time and sectors, but as industries change and technology advances, there are certain skills becoming increasingly important to jobs today. Skills that will look excellent on your CV and make you a compelling candidate.
Here are six of the most desirable skills to help you land a job today!
Social media
Whichever generation you hail from: Gen X, millennial or even baby boomers – social media is ubiquitously used by businesses. Being well-versed in various social media platforms can now be considered an asset to many companies, so if you have an active social media presence, you can bet many employers will take notice.
And what better way of connecting with your potential employers than through social media? Your social media page gives employers a snapshot of your personality, which can be decisive in the hiring process. In fact, 92% of companies are using social media for hiring—and we are not just talking LinkedIn.
Don’t be foolish in assuming employers won’t look at your social media profile, because they do – 70% of them, actually! They are looking to see if you’re the right fit for the company, determine if you’ve demonstrated your skills and gauge your creativity. So even if you’ve spent the last decade being too cool for social media, get savvy, get hired.
Programming/coding
Think about it this way, algebra, calculus or learning your verbs from your nouns, they are all a compulsory part of our curriculum. With our automated digital world, coding may as well be a part of our literature, it’s exactly why England introduced programming as a part of the UK curriculum in 2014.
It’s a highly relevant skill when you consider that every business requires some form of programming, so learning to code will open a whole world of opportunities in different sectors. Take for example Wonderbly, who have developed a programming software to work with writers in creating personalized books for children.
Last, but not least, why not be a creator instead of just a follower! Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. These are just the successful examples of the thousands of apps being built every day. Instead of landing a job, why not help create one by developing your own app? Be like these young self-taught developers who became millionaires.
There are plenty of programing courses available online or you can save up for a one-week intensive course, be warned though, they may cost up to £3,000.
Data/statistics
All companies contain a lot of data, which needs to be stored correctly and analyzed to figure out how to optimize business. This includes sales numbers, finances, website traffic, email open rates and customer information. Data analytics is part of the role of marketers, sales teams, finance teams and of course analytics/data teams.
Data provides opportunities for companies to develop new strategies to grow their business. Take for example Netflix, who used data mining to their advantage to commission the successful series House of Cards. With the growing number of industries that rely heavily on data, if you’re able to interpret and analyze data, you have your pick of jobs.
It’s a good idea to get your Excel skills up to scratch as a start, so you can at least input simple formulas.
Soft skills
These skills are immeasurable but essential traits employers are looking for:
Communication
In the era of social media, it’s easy to forget how important communication skills are. You probably won’t have to have the verbal articulacy of a Christopher Hitchens; however, hiring managers have cited a lack of communication skills in the modern workforce.
However difficult it may be, if you’re willing to set aside Instagram for a while, communication skills are something you can work on. This also includes body language, the tonality of your voice, eye contact and developing coherent sentences, a lack in these skills are why graduates are missing out on these jobs.
Collaboration
Just like with your communication skills, whether you work at a small or large company, you will be required to play well with others. Most business are multi-faceted and require working between departments to amalgamate ideas into one.
Even if you consider yourself individualistic, put that aside. Think about why more and more job interviews involve interactive group exercises. It’s to gauge whether or not potential employees can work well with others.
Leadership
Eventually when you progress into your careers, employees will want you to take more responsibilities, which usually means taking charge of a team at some point.
You do not have to be a natural born leader; however, developing the traits of a leader goes a long way. What does a leader do? He/she listens to everyone, gets people involved, builds trust, delegates tasks and takes responsibilities.
If you feel like you’re lacking in these skills, take up an activity that puts you in a place of responsibility and leadership. Here are five activities you can do to develop the aforementioned leadership skills.
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About the Author Kushal Karki
Kushal Karki writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for internships and graduate jobs.