Employers world wide are anticipating continued growth in digital and are looking for people of the right skill sets that will take the business forward.
So here is a list of skill sets that you should keep an eye out for for the rest of this year and next.
1) Data literacy
Instead of knowing a new language, employees should have the ability to read data and derive actionable insights from them. This is an important skill as more and more work revolves around the use of data. We are not looking at data scientist level of competence but new hires should at least be able to do simple data visualization and analysis in the likes of google analytics and basic business intelligence reports.
2) Basic design skills
Simple skills like putting ideas onto charts and graphics are important in this digital age where most communications are done through images rather than text. Once again, we are not looking for photoshop experts but someone who is comfortable with doing the basic drag and drops operations on design websites like canvas.com or piktochart.com. In the long term, skill set like this will allow the business to rely less on design agencies and help to reduce cost.
3) Social media experience
In the digital age, every employee is a marketer. In larger corporations, employees are trained to marketing products, services, and events via their own outreach with content support coming from the companies themselves. This will only work if everyone plays a part and are willing to let the company leverage on their own social network to extend marketing reach. But social media literacy is really a given these days and so. It should really be a foundation for all employee profile in the digital age.
4) Content creation skills
In the world where every employee is a marketer, they will also need to understand the company’s products and services to such an extent that they can write simple content for their work. This kind of content can range from simple fact sheets to experiential descriptions of their services from a user perspective. Larger corporations have been preparing their staff by giving them creative writing training. It may be important for new hires to equip themselves with this skill set before joining an organization.
5) Rapid project management
Projects in the digital world move at the speed of light. Very often employees are asked to file a report in the field while responding to queries on social media and having to post promotional images on their blogs. All these are happening while they are expected to manage their client’s expectations. With more technology comes greater expectation to get things done as quickly as possible so the new employees need to be able to deal with the technology as well as the stress and expectations that come with it.
