Run up the Skills!
A college education is good and everything, but technical abilities and social awareness are becoming more and more valuable.
About five years ago, a lively young high school boy named James waltzed into his guidance counselor’s office, eager to find out how he could get into his dream school: Harvard University. He thought that if he was accepted into this prestigious university, he’d be guaranteed the benefits of quality education and a name on his resume employers could never refuse. Fast forward five years and that boy has achieved his dream…well kinda. He’s not at Harvard, but he is at another great Ivy League school. Learning useful, intriguing information during class has been a pleasure, but the job search after academic hours has proven to be a little bit more difficult. Sure, the Ivy League name helps in the application process, but it isn’t everything. What has proven to be even more important is skills.
That’s right, people! Skills. In other words, what are you able to do well? What social or technical abilities do you have? What programs do you know how to use? These are some of the questions that employers are asking to determine whether or not a candidate is right for their positions. Recently, many employers have been struggling to match candidates’ skills to what is required for their roles. According to the National Federation for Independent Business, small businesses, which make up half the economy, are largely seeking to hire at the moment. However, 88% of these businesses have reported little to no qualified applicants for their positions. This means that there is no shortage of jobs out there! People are hiring! We, as potential candidates, just need to be prepared to apply with solid skills (and experiences) on our resumes. That will attract the companies that we want to work for. Now that we know the value of skills, we have to wonder, what skills are most valuable in today’s economy and what are some practical steps we can take to develop those skills?
Long story short, employers are looking for two types of skills: soft skills and hard skills. Don’t let these names fool you. Obtaining the former type of skill can be just as difficult, if not more difficult, than obtaining the latter. Hard skills are technical, measurable, job-specific skills that you can go to school and learn like coding, film production, or fashion design whereas soft skills are less tangible qualities that help you to interact with people, work well in teams, and exist within a workplace culture. You can’t necessarily sit in a classroom and develop these qualities.
According to CNBC, the five most in-demand hard skills of 2019 are cloud computing, artificial intelligence, analytical reasoning, people management, and user experience (UX) design. Note that these are only general skills that a lot of employers are looking for. If you have no idea what you want to do in life, try taking classes in these subjects. However, if you do have a passion for a particular career, research which specific technical abilities employers in your field are looking for. You can use sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn to browse job descriptions. If you notice that one skill is required for most jobs, hone in on it by taking classes, getting a mentor, or participating in internships that will allow you to acquire or develop that skill.
On the other hand, the most in-demand soft skills of 2019 are creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management. What makes soft skills special is that everyone has to have them, regardless of the job. In order to exist within any company, you must be able to communicate, adapt to the environment, and manage time. I know that some of these qualities can be daunting for those who are more accustomed to relying on their technical knowledge but don’t worry! There are easy ways to pick up soft skills too! Matter of fact, you may be picking up these abilities every day without even knowing it. If you do group projects, compete on a sports team, or plan any type of event, you are working with people, keeping track of a schedule, and making changes when unforeseen circumstances arise. Those are skills! Sure, there are probably classes that teach that, but you can take the more simple approach of doing what you already do, except in a more intentional manner. If you notice any failings on your part, work to address them and improve. Let’s get busy family!
Training Resources
- Inexpensive online classes taught by knowledgeable instructors
- Hard and soft skills training
- Used by Lyft, Pinterest, & Adidas
- More expensive online and in-person classes
- Hard skills training
- Clients and hiring partners include Google, Visa, & Microsoft
