All organizations are coming to realise that digital skills are vital for employees in the digital era. The global pandemic only made that faster.
It is more important now than ever that employees are cross-disciplined and have both hard and soft skills. Whatever the specific job you are interviewing for, recruiters will be looking out for a wider skill set and broader experience in their new hires. They don’t want to have to hire someone else when it’s time to upgrade the standard operating procedure.
The challenges of upskilling and reskilling could be imminent for many businesses and governments. The dignity, well-being and self-fulfilment of individuals, as well as the prosperity of society, could depend on it. So, rather than wait here are top six digital skills that will be needed in the future of work;
Data Literacy and Data Visualisation:
Data is a critical asset for every company especially with the 4th Industrial Revolution well underway. With the right data, companies are able to get better insight into product performance, predict the impact of future business disruptions and are better able to serve customers with the right products and services.
Companies that understand business trends and shifting customer needs are better able to respond in the right way. Data is useless to a company unless there is data literacy, that is people equipped with skills to understand the data and make better decisions because of it. Professionals with data literacy will be even more appealing to prospective employers than ever before.
Coding Skills:
Professionals with digital skills, including coding, web development, and digital marketing, will become even more important than they are now. People who can keep the digital business up and thriving even in the worst circumstances are appreciated because they make remote working easy and efficient. As you know, most companies are adopting the work-from-home procedure more than ever. So, the opportunities to put digital skills to work are countless.
Digital Project/Product Management:
Project management is not only desirable to tech companies, it is a vital part of developing digital products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Digital Project Managers need to have a holistic understanding of how digital projects are developed – from ideation to prototype to fully developed digital product(s) or service(s).
Digital Marketing:
To promote products and services, companies, even small businesses find better and faster ways of reaching their customers and with the proliferation of smart phones and deeper internet penetration, many look to digital marketing. In-demand skills for Digital Marketers include: Digital marketing tools, Analytics tools, Social media marketing, Content creation and marketing, SEO and UX (User Experience Design) among others.
Mobile Expertise:
Smartphones are now more common for online use than a desktop. Therefore, rise of mobile means that businesses must adapt their strategy fast and strategically. This means adopting a mobile-first approach. Content and customer journey are optimized for mobile.
Network and information security:
This skill, while on the surface seems the least glamorous, is one of the most important today and in the future. Everyone values safety and security even in the online world. Cybersecurity is one of the biggest issues of today and will continue to be as digital transformation advances. With recent controversies about cyber security in high profile cases, ensuring business data is kept secure is now a top priority.
As artificial intelligence, robotics and other digital innovations are reshaping work, both employers and employees are expected to hone digital and soft skills to take advantage of the new opportunities they are expected to face.
Do you have questions or comments? Do share with us in the comment section.