5 Skills That Will Get You Hired In 2020
The modern job market is an ever changing beast.
Skill sets that were once in high demand have changed shape, and in some cases, disappeared entirely.
As the end of the decade approaches, it’s a good time to evaluate your resume and look for gaps in both your hard and soft skills, or in your work experience.
And if you’re currently seeking employment, or you’re interested in a career change, taking the time to master some of these sought after skills will help you keep up with the competition and increase your chances of landing your dream job.
1. Master Communication Skills
Great communication skills takes the spot of #1 on our list, and for good reason.
Whether you need to manage a team of people in a busy setting, or you simply need to correspond with clients and customers via email or telephone, having great communication skills is a necessity at almost every workplace.
To work on your communication skills, try practicing these tips:
Listen Actively
Active listening is an art that will serve both your workplace and personal relationships well as you master it.
When in a conversation with someone else, practice really hearing what the other party is saying and then take a pause before giving your response.
Repeat Back
It’s not uncommon for instruction at work to become muddled and confused. The next time you’re taught how to do a new task, try repeating back your understanding of the steps and requirements.
This not only shows that you have been an active listener, but it will also give your manager a chance to clear up any potential confusion before you begin.
Stay Positive
It’s too easy to get into a cycle of negativity in both our work and personal lives.
By choosing to stay positive and keep complaints to yourself, you will eliminate a lot of frustration and help to keep your workplace a happy one.
Keep Text Simple
Many jobs require that you communicate via text, both internally and to customers and clients.
However, the context of email communication has the potential for huge misunderstandings. Because the recipient of your email cannot hear your tone or read your body language, it’s always best to keep the tone light and to keep your emails as short and simple as possible.
Try using one line paragraphs, avoid run on sentences, and always leave your emails open for a phone call or in person meeting if needed.
To learn more about how to master communication skills, check out this article.
2. Embrace Technology
As the job market evolves and makes continual technological advances, it’s critical that job seekers keep up with those advances.
According to Monster, “Technology skills — beyond the obvious ones such as how to use Microsoft Office or Google — aren’t just for techies. Many jobs now require knowledge of more involved technologies, such as Web analytics and online databases.
Those who are adept with technology — or who aren’t afraid of it, at least — can leverage their knowledge by serving as much-needed liaisons with technical personnel or by devising new ways to grow a business or cut costs.”
Keeping up with technology doesn’t mean you need to master every new advancement.
3. Keep An Open Mind
Workplace environments have come a long way in the past decade. For example, most businesses take issues such as crude humor, prejudices, and sexual harassment much more seriously than they have in the past.
And as much as social rules have changed, so have the implementation of new ideas.
Young working professionals today are largely forward thinking. They are quick to try new approaches and alternative ways of thinking and doing things.
To stand out in this market, you not only need to be socially sensitive and appropriate, but you also must be willing to embrace change and innovation.
4. Practice People Management
According to Your Story, “People management is one of the most important skills that one should learn for long-term success. As every king needs an empire, every leader needs a team in order to achieve his goal.
This is only possible if the leader possesses people management skills.
Irrespective of your profession and work, you will always require this skill because big things cannot be done alone. You need to manage your whole team and maintain harmony between them.”
To advance in most companies, it’s necessary to know how to manage a team of people.
If you’ve never had an opportunity to be in management in the past, continue working on mastering your communication skills and your personal organization and discipline.
If a management opportunity arises in your company, you’ll be ready.
5. Pursue Learning
Today, skills are constantly changing shape, so you have to learn how to learn well.
Any hard skill that we recommend you go out and learn today could be irrelevant 5 years from now.
While that may seem frustrating or downright terrifying, those who embrace knowledge as a lifelong pursuit will be the most successful in their careers over the next decade.
Read voraciously, watch online tutorials when you discover something you don’t know, take classes, and never stop learning from the experts in your field.
Employees who are passionate about learning have the best chances of obtaining job success in 2020.
If you’re looking to land your dream job, contact us at Infinity Staffing today. We would love to work with you.