Staying Relevant in Uncertain Times
Upskilling is the order of the day, whether it’s because your industry has been affected, you’ve been asked to leave or simply just considering a career switch
Given how the pandemic has changed the way many organization now work, means that certain skills will be highly sought after and some skills are no longer required
Employees all over the world are now acquiring new skills – not just technical but also soft skills to make a smooth transition into the future of work
UPSKILLING NEED OF THE HOUR
Learning a new skill is a great way to stay relevant in today’s current workplace. In fact, we encourage upskilling so much, we’ve written a number of articles on the topic. Despite not being a soft skill, we encourage employees in all industries to pick up a digital skill. It lets your employers know Some examples of digital skills include:
Data Analytics:
This refers to the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and even the modelling of data. But you don't need to be a data analyst to learn about data analytics, almost every role requires some sort of data savviness, if you have data analytics as a skill you will be a very valuable asset within your department, if not then data analytics might be a skill to look into.
Tech Savviness:
When the circuit breaker first took place, both organizations and employees worldwide had to adapt to life online. In-person and collaboration meetings are now held online. This requires some amount of tech-savviness, which is essentially an employee’s ability to be smart with technology.
Programming:
They say a person that is fluent in more than 1 language have a higher IQ, so why not make that language a programming language? Programming or coding is a skill that just about anyone should pick up. Learning to program allows the jobseeker to learn a range of soft skills (i.e. problem solving and logic skills). Additionally, a skilled programmer helps improve interpersonal skills as well as confidence.
Learning a new skill is like gaining a superpower, and it does wonders for your confidence and mental health, and talking about mental health, what kind of soft skills can we look into to stay positive and maintain confidence in oneself skills and abilities?
Read Also: Online vs Offline The best way to learn Tech Skills
CREATIVITY
During these turbulent and uncertain times, budgets are bound to tighten and cost consciousness will remain a focus, this could cause some anxiety amongst the organization. With hiring freezes, employers are looking for colleagues who can come up with creative solutions to ensure operational results are achieved despite restricted recourses.
Give yourself some space to think; many people come up with their best ideas when they’re doing something unrelated, simply take a brisk walk around your building.
Be curious and playful; take fresh perspectives on a problem by asking yourself questions like, ‘What would my mentor do?’, ‘What if I had more time or limitless resources’, or ‘What if I had to find a solution today?’
Create a positive environment; if you’re working with a team on a challenging project, spend some time chatting or doing something positive first.
With up to 30% of the workforce working from home during the pandemic, the dynamics of the working environment has changed a lot, especially the interaction between colleagues and team members, so what type of skills do we need to focus on to stay relevant and even thrive in this environment?
PROBLEM SOLVING
Problem solving skills become essential in a remote working scenario. Since employees are collaborating and communicating virtually, this can raise a series of challenges. Problem solving skills enable employees to approach problems rationally and view them as opportunities. In this way, they can identify the most effective methods to rectify situations and ensure smooth functioning of business operations.
LEADERSHIP
The current global crises have not only tested employees’ capabilities to perform in a remote working environment but also their emotional resilience. With some enterprises announcing remote working till the end of 2021 and in some cases permanently, it has become imperative for managers to develop strong leadership qualities to manage teams remotely.
See Also: First Follower: Leadership Skills for the Dancing Guy
You don’t have to be a manager in order to have great leadership skills. In fact, employees with great leadership skills will be able to work effectively in a team. Think about it, at any given workplace, you’ll always be given a team to work with. So building your leadership skills would make you a better employee and a team player.
Read Also: The Incredible Rise and Ever-Evolving Applications of the “Growth” Hacker
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
With remote working and collaboration, it is very important to communicate clearly and be well-planned to get the best out of teams. Right from training and skilling employees to getting projects delivered on time, communication skills will become very critical and could be a key factor that distinguishes successful projects from the others.
Brainstorming sessions:
The goal of a brainstorming session is to come up with as many solutions and ideas as possible.
Analytical skills:
Creative thinking allows you to take in and digest information in a variety of ways. Thinking creatively allows you to read and interpret text and data in a variety of different ways.
Open-mindedness:
Creative thinking and open-mindedness go hand in hand. In order to think creatively, you must first eliminate personal biases. Additionally, open-mindedness makes you a more flexible and adaptable employee.
