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The modern workplace has transformed dramatically over the last several years, and the most valuable skills to learn have changed, too. Whether you’re looking for a new career or you want to advance in your current role, learning the top skills employers look for in 2024 can give you a competitive edge.
The first step to developing high-demand skills is to evaluate either your current industry or the one you want to work in. Different industries have different top skills, but generally, employers look for several top soft and hard (or technical) skills.
Soft skills are ones that can be applied to all professions. They tend to be more focused on how you relate to people and how you navigate the workplace. Put another way, these are interpersonal, work style, work ethic, or team function skills. These types of skills help you be more flexible in your career but are also useful for your life outside of work. Modern employers place a great deal of importance on soft skills, and career coaching can help you identify areas for growth and learn how to develop your soft skills.
Whether your career calls for in-person, hybrid, or remote work, knowing how to communicate with your coworkers and clients is potentially the most important skill you could learn.
Being effective in both speaking and writing helps you connect with your team, share information with your customers or clients, and solve problems. Communication skills typically fall into the categories of verbal, nonverbal, and written, and it’s important to master all three.
Creative and analytical thinking skills deal with how you approach problems. Creative thinking tends to involve brainstorming ideas and thinking outside the box. This type of thinking shows you’re an innovator who can bring a fresh perspective to an organization.
On the other hand, analytical or critical thinking deals with strategy and logic to evaluate a situation and choose the best course of action. However, no one should utilize just one type of thinking. A high-quality employee knows how to be both innovative and strategic.
Customer service is important for any career, not just the roles traditionally considered “customer service jobs.” This skill focuses on cultivating relationships and trust with whoever your customer might be, whether that’s a client of your company or another team that relies on your work to do theirs. People-centric skills are important for creating a more welcoming, human experience for people you work with or for.
Modern workflows are increasingly complex, especially when project teams might be located all over the country or even the world. Project management skills require high levels of organization, strategy, and delegation to ensure that every stage of the project is completed on time, within budget, and at the highest possible quality.
According to research conducted by LinkedIn, adaptability is one of the most important skills in demand in 2024. Work environments are changing faster than ever, especially thanks to the impact of generative AI. Adaptability shows you are capable of flexing with an ever-changing workplace and that you’re willing to learn and grow to stay up to date on the newest technologies and skills for your industry.
You don’t have to be a C-suite executive to develop leadership skills. Regardless of your career field or goals, being a leader is about motivating others on your team to reach a common goal.
People with strong leadership skills exhibit creativity, integrity, and the ability to make decisions. They also embody many of the other skills on this list, such as adaptability or communication skills.
Last but not least of the soft skills in demand in 2024 is a love of lifelong learning. Both on and off the job, it’s important to constantly stretch your knowledge, whether by learning a new software program or by reading a book on a topic that interests you. A love of learning helps you become more comfortable with change and shows employers that you can handle new challenges. Plus, lifelong learning has a huge variety of benefits, from helping your brain stay healthy to fostering strong mental health.
Generally, technical (or hard) skills are related to particular industries or career fields. These are skills you’ll need to learn to do a particular job. Some hard skills are transferable, which means they are applicable in more than one field or at different companies. Typically, you can learn these skills through in-person or online courses, and they can involve progressing through the levels of mastery, from beginner to expert.
One of the top things to learn in 2024 is digital and technological literacy. The American Library Association defines digital literacy as “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” In short, this is the ability to use digital tools well.
Digital and technology literacy skills include a wide range of skills:
Generative AI (GenAI) has taken the world by storm. It has transformed the way companies do business and is continually advancing and changing. Many industries are beginning to look specifically for people who can use GenAI to do their roles, so it’s important to know how to use these tools both efficiently and ethically.
Careers in fields like data engineering will especially require AI skills to handle data models and analysis. Marketing is another field that is expected to make more use of GenAI in the future. Learning how to effectively use GenAI tools is one of the best skills in 2024 and can help you increase your productivity and the quality of your work, outsource tedious digital tasks, or reduce wasted time at work.
Data analysis is a critical skill in many fields and roles since it deals with understanding complex data to help organizations develop smarter strategies. This skill involves visualizing, extracting, modeling, cleaning, and interpreting data to make it easily understandable for decision-makers. It may involve using programming languages like SQL or using AI.
In an increasingly digital world, software developers are more in demand than ever. Every time you download an app on your phone, you’re downloading a product that was built by software engineers. Computer software, mobile applications, and even high-end refrigerators use software. If you’re looking for a growing career, software development is one of the best job skills of the future.
Similar to software development, UX/UI design involves creating mobile, web, and desktop apps. While software engineers work on the code and functionality of an app, UX/UI designers focus on what users see and experience when they use the app. Since it’s the part of the app that users will see and touch, UX/UI design is in high demand for companies looking to create engaging customer experiences.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that demand for web developers will increase 16% over the next few years, making web development an extremely valuable skill to learn. Every company needs a beautiful, functional website, and learning web development can help set you up for future job security.
After you’ve developed the best skills for 2024 and beyond, you must make sure potential employers know what you bring to the table. Let’s explore how to showcase your skills during the job application process.
Include a skills section on your resume where you list hard and transferable skills in bullet points. Make sure your cover letter includes examples of how you used these skills, whether in past work experiences, independent projects, school, or in training courses.
Interviews are a great opportunity to showcase your soft skills. You will have the opportunity to use interpersonal skills to engage with the interviewer, and you can answer common interview questions with examples of how you used soft skills in the past.
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