JOB SKILLS NEEDED AS COMPANIES REBUILD AFTER COVID-19 CRISIS

It is no news that millions of People have lost their jobs in the last few months due to the COVID 19 Pandemic. Business owners have also lost critical project(s) while many others have closed up shop.

Floating companies are laser-focused on conserving cash, reducing non-essential expenses, and planning for an uncertain post-COVID 19 world.

The question is:

What skills are likely to be most in demand as the global economy begins to emerge out of COVID 19?

As we all know, the pandemic has brought a huge shift in the requirements and skills needed to keep businesses running. Adding more skills to your roles can actually boost your performance and also make you a valuable resource. If you are positioning yourself for the job market post-COVID19 Here are some skills every company will be looking for post-COVID 19 crisis and beyond :

1.Critical Thinking Skills/Problem-Solving Skills: In a time where people have changed the way they work, individuals with critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities are in high demand. This skill will help rebuild the economy from the damage done by COVID-19.

Individuals who can prove that they are able to think critically and find solutions to business problems will have a much better chance of being hired.

People who can objectively evaluate information from diverse sources to determine what is credible will be valued.

Top HR Professionals are now leveraging on these skills to gain a candidate’s potential to succeed in the job in a modern workforce.

2.Creativity: Some say COVID 19 pandemic brought about frustrations while some others are of the opinion that the pandemic opened up a new world of possibilities. The nationwide lock-down led many entrepreneurs/businesses to become very creative.

Many people could not condone the idea of buying expensive face masks so they decided to make one into their taste and some even went as far as making face masks for commercial purposes.

In a post-coronavirus world, companies will need humans with this amazing ability to invent new things, dream up new business ideas and ways of bringing them to life. Human creativity is going to be very essential.

3.Data Literacy: There is a big gap of data analytics in the market right now as data has become the fuel to this 4th Industrial Revolution and a very important skill to have post-COVID 19.

Companies are bombarded with data but with the right data, companies will be able to better predict the impact of future business disruptions and be able to serve customers better with the right products and services during and after any pandemic.

Companies that understand business trends and shifting customer needs are better able to respond in the right way should a future pandemic come along. However, data is useless for a company unless they have skilled data literacy — people equipped with skills to understand the data and turn into actionable and smart decisions. Professionals with data literacy will be even more appealing to prospective employers than ever before

4. Digital Marketing:

Companies that survive the pandemic will put digital at the forefront of their strategy and business process. This will lead to a demand for persons with digital marketing skills. Amassing these skills will create room for big opportunities. These marketing skills capitalize on new marketing technologies that help sell products and build brands. All businesses will crave for this expertise. Digital marketing is so broad so you can specialize on one or more of the following: PPC, Data analysis, SEO, Social Media, Marketing Automation, Conversion Rate Optimization and so on.

Digital marketing is transitioning to a new age and it is really valuable to businesses now and beyond.

5. Digital Project Management: The world is digitizing rapidly; this means more of the work we do and the projects we run will be digital. So companies will be needing Project Managers specialized in delivering digital projects so to become one you will need a firm grasp of digital technologies. Software Engineering team, Digital Marketing team, eCommerce team will be headed by Digital Project Managers to ensure that work gets done in a digital world

Going ahead you can expect many changes in respect to how employees work. One needs to reinvent himself, adapt to new skills and be ready to survive the shrinking job market.

Covid-19 has forced companies to focus on digital assets that can be managed remotely. Working from Home is slowly becoming a norm for many companies.

Maximize your marketability by pursuing indispensable technology skills and get comfortable with tech tools.

In the days to come, these skills will grant you access to more opportunities. Companies will want a workforce that can creatively adapt to the changing times. Innovation and technology skills will also be an added bonus.

Working from home has created a requirement for remote coordination. People with Leadership skills can keep Teams motivated and inspired, collaboration skills will also be valued above many other skills too.

There will also likely be a surge in demand for marketing related skill sets as companies race to recapture the market.

In conclusion… Be Tech-Savvy

Acquiring technology skills post-COVID-19 will definitely make you highly valuable as companies are asking themselves how they could have been better prepared to deal with this pandemic. And how they can make sure their systems are more resilient to future impacts.

The reality is that technologies such as Big Data, Artificial intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, block-chain will make businesses better prepared for future pandemics, and anyone that can help businesses optimise their daily practices and automate their daily lives by exploiting these technologies will be in a great position.

All of these different technologies interact with each other and at the same time change our world. No matter where you work you need to be comfortable with these tech tools as well as be able to work with them effectively.

According to Alok Alström, CEO of AppJobs (Sweden) notes, “COVID-19 is giving us all a ‘crash course’ in remotely working through digital tools. The most sought-after skill after COVID 19 is teaching people and organizations on how to be productive in a new, digital economy. This means “digital transformation coaches” will see a surge in demand.”