There are numerous skills needed to be successful in today’s workforce. Whether you’re prepping for an interview or brushing up your resume, it is important to know how to present your skills and experience.
There are two categories that job skills fall into—hard and soft skills. Industry-specific skills obtained through higher education or career development are known as hard skills. Conversely, soft skills—also known as interpersonal skills—are non-technical skills that you use to shape how you work. Additionally, soft skills are applicable throughout almost every industry, so it’s beneficial to build up your soft skills repertoire.
Keep reading to learn about the best skills you’ll need to be successful in today’s workforce.
Top Skills Needed to be Successful in Today’s Workforce
Communication
Being able to communicate effectively is key in any position. Thanks to innovative communication technology, communication has evolved. Verbal communication remains an important factor in this skillset, but other valuable skills include written and digital communication.
To hone your communication skills, consider ways you’ll communicate with future colleagues when applying to a position. If you’re applying for a telephone-based customer service role, you might want to highlight your verbal communication skills.
Another way to demonstrate your ability to communicate is through a well-written resume. A competent and concise resume exemplifies your ability to communicate effectively in written format.
Digital Literacy
In a world where technology is a major part of our daily lives, digital literacy is crucial. According to Hiller Spires, a professor of literacy and technology, there are three areas within digital literacy:
- Finding and consuming digital content
- Being able to create digital content
- Sharing that content through digital communications
By and large, digital literacy may sound like a challenging skill to obtain. Thankfully, a majority of roles require a basic understanding of a company’s various digital technologies.
One example of how you can highlight your digital literacy is by listing software experience on your resume. If a previous job required you to use Microsoft Office tools or other content creation platforms, share this experience.
Learning more about digital literacy is also quite accessible. The Public Library Association, which is part of the American Library Association, has many initiatives dedicated to teaching digital literacy. These initiatives take on the form of free classes at your local library. These classes can be a great way to learn anything from applying for jobs online to using Microsoft Word.
Adaptability
Change is inevitable in today’s workforce. It’s estimated that 85% of the jobs that today’s learners will perform do not exist yet. What does this mean for a job seeker looking to boost their skillset?
Overall, these statistics indicate that the skills needed to be successful in today’s workforce have shifted over the years. The same high demand skills 10 years ago might be less relevant in today’s market.
So, how can you stay on the cutting edge of a rapidly changing work environment? By recognizing this trend of change, you can best prepare yourself by being flexible. It sounds simple, but being able to go with the flow, so to speak, is valuable. Highlight your adaptability in an interview by sharing a scenario where your flexibility benefited a situation.
Are you looking for a career where you can utilize your unique skills?
Check out Arizona’s best employers by visiting BestCompaniesAZ and discover an innovative new career today!
