Are Your Skills in Demand?

No, it’s not just another recruitment horoscope prediction. LinkedIn analysed its data to determine the skills companies need most and that bosses find most valuable. Unsurprisingly, the skills most needed are technical, reflecting the increasing digitisation of our world. And the role of tech in society continues to grow by the day.

Here’s the super-skills hotlist:

UX design

In an age of information overload, presenting info in a way that is both pleasurable and easy for users is important. UX design usually combines creative flair with technical knowledge of tools such as Sketch, InVision, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, as well as the usual frontend languages.

Cloud computing

With resource sharing and interconnectivity central to lives and businesses, cloud computing skills are always in demand. And the skills needed are quite varied: database skills, DevOps, knowledge of operating systems like Linux, an array of programming languages and understanding information security.

Artificial Intelligence

The role of AI grows every day, sparking the public’s imagination. Those involved in the area must have a deep understanding of algorithms, the latest programming languages, problem-solving, machine-learning and – often – maths, as well as a strong commitment to innovation.

Integration and Middleware Development

As anyone who likes a good sandwich knows, what's in the middle matters! As the important software filler between different systems and applications, developing middleware requires integration specialists that can understand a whole host of different frameworks, processes, technologies and programming languages.

Project Management

When conjuring up an image of a Project Manager, we perhaps think of a busy person juggling deadlines, full of stress and struggling to keep a sense of humour! Today, with a multitude of planning, controlling and budgeting tools available, much of the modern Project Manager’s focus is on motivating and connecting teams – both external and internal. This means that they need to have great people skills and be able to keep calm when the water gets a little choppy.

But… Soft Skills Matter Too

According to the same LinkedIn data, it’s not all about hard skills though. Having a heart and soul also plays a big part being attractive to employers. Let us introduce you to 2019’s most desirable soft skills…

Creativity

Everyone claims creativity, but what does it really mean? People think of ‘out of the box’ solutions or thinking with imagination, but true inventiveness relies on a strong understanding of logic – if only to subvert it and play by different rules.

Collaboration

We live in a technological era, but human interaction has never been more important. Collaborating and interacting with people requires empathy, being attentive to their needs, listening, being adaptable and having strong communication skills – all important in getting along as a team.

Adaptability

Things don’t always go to plan and being able to adjust to change quickly is a vital skill in life and at work. Being open-minded also means that you can absorb different sources of information and different ways of doing things.

Persuasion

Being persuasive and passionate about what you do helps you to sell your ideas and influence the people around you to come on board – after all, if you’re the only person who believes in our ideas, they’re less likely to be successful!

Time Management

The secret here is to have goals and tasks well-defined. Being able to prioritise is often more difficult than it sounds as it requires an understanding of what is and isn’t important; which needs a good business sense and an understanding of the resources needed to accomplish goals.

Top Tips to Upgrading Your Skills

It’s great if you already have any of these skills, but don’t be scared if you’re lacking any. We’re here to help you with our top tips for developing the hottest skills in demand.

Spot and Embrace New Challenges

Every time that you see an opportunity to learn new skills, you should go for it. What do you have to lose? Reading books and journals, dropping in on brainstorms, participating on projects outside of your comfort zone…. all of these are development opportunities.

Find Mentors

A mentor with experience can help you to find the path to progress more efficiently and share his or her own pearls of wisdom and knowledge. A mentor can help you to look for opportunities in your company, suggest like-minded groups to get involved with, identify learning opportunities that exist and point you to tools and resources to help.

Use Training Courses and Your HR Department

Your HR and training department are there to support your career development. Ask them for help in planning your training programmes and what they might be able to do – internally or externally – to help you attend the right events and workshops that develop your skills.

Look Out for Apprenticeships and Re-qualification Programmes

Apprenticeships are a great opportunity for young people to learn new skills on the job by becoming immersed in a company. At the same time, if you’re career needs a change, don’t feel like you’re stuck because of choices you’ve made in the past. Re-qualification programmes are a great way of learning new skills and preparing for a career change.

Choose Wisely

A job is about much more than picking up a monthly pay cheque. We spend a huge amount of our time at work and so picking a company that will allows you grow and work on exciting projects is important to develop new skills. Do your research before deciding what’s best for you – speak to people you might know, check out Glassdoor and find out what kind of projects a company gets involved with before choosing.

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If you are reading this, and feel inspired to use and develop your skills in exciting projects that impact the lives of people around the world, find out more about a career at Critical Software.