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Are you sure of the skills required of you in order to get accepted for a job? Apart from the position vacancy, employers will also be looking for certain technical skills in the applicants for being hired.
While its good to learn the latest technologies and gain knowledge to help you ace in your career, it is definitely not the only skill employees should possess. There are many other linked skills that employers are looking for and any strong candidate will possess them.
In this blog post, I will be discussing some tips on the kind of tech skills you should have to improve your chances of getting hired.
Social Media
Almost all industries make use of social media to tap into new customer sources. Social media has become the quickest, cheapest and the most efficient way of discovering new customer segments and reaching out to them with ease.
Some of the most popular social media sites that you should have hands-on experience of include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Google+ and Snapchat.
Employers these days expect their employees to know not just how to use these apps but also how to run their businesses effectively on them. Candidates for marketing roles are considered weak if they do not possess strong knowledge of social media management.
Video Skills
Having some video skills is a good way for you to stand out from the crowd. Video production and editing has become mandatory for reaching global audiences and candidates having this skill means they can help the business create strong digital communication materials.
Platforms like YouTube have become a necessity for any business and that is why it important to have the skills to edit videos there.
Moreover, employees who work in creative and communication industries should have some level of knowledge of video editing software like Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere. This allows you to be more fluid in your workplace, taking on a variety of projects and helping the team in many ways.
Software Program Skills
Employers like it when candidates know how to use software relevant to their profession. Data Scientists and Business Analysts should have knowledge of software like Tableau and Google Analytics. Sales professionals and marketers should know how to use Salesforce, HubSpot and Mailchimp. This means you will be able to contribute to the business from the first day, instead of having to spend time training for the essential software.
In case you have not mastered all relevant software, you can always stress on the ones you know and the willingness to learn other software that will help the business run smoothly. When candidates have the ability to work for the company, they also have the tendency to learn relevant new technologies in the future.
HTML Knowledge
Knowledge of HTML has now become somewhat mandatory for everyone. We are seeing how schools are teaching coding to young pupils because of its importance in the professional life. Knowledge of HTML means that you will be able to develop and modify web pages on your own. You will also be able to troubleshoot and perform system maintenance on your own.
You do not have to be a pro at it – even basic HTML knowledge can get you a long way. This is a great added skill for account managers as they will be able to hold more meaningful communication with internal and external clients. You will be able to quickly fix small issues like broken email signatures or informing your clients of any servers under maintenance by displaying the page.
Search Engine Optimisation
Another mandatory skill of this age is Search Engine Optimisation, commonly referred to as simply SEO. Employees in technology, communication, sales and marketing industries need to be well-versed with the latest SEO trends. SEO techniques are primarily used by web developers and marketers to enhance the visibility of their websites by optimising the content and the performance of their pages.
Enhancing the visibility of the web pages help improve the ranking of their website in search results in search engines like Google and Bing. Being able to rank better on search engines will in turn mean that you are able to redirect more valuable and relevant customers to the company’s website. Therefore, it is a mandatory skill to possess if you want to improve your chances of being hired.
Technical Writing
While possessing valuable technical skills is a great asset, being able to translate and make other professionals understand the skill is a whole next level of ability. You become a potential trainer in your own company for other, less skilled individuals.
Employees with technical writing skills are not only important for the internal trainings and orientation of other employees; they are also vital in preparing messages that are sent out to distributors, customers, manufacturers, suppliers and customers.
Structured Query Language (SQL)
These days, companies require storing large amount of data, thanks to the burst of big data. Saving data to turn it into valuable information is vital. SQL allows you to act will all databases in storing the data in an organised manner.
With so much data, employees skilled in SQL are able to pick out the data components that are appropriate. This data is then further processed to generate reports which assist the management in the decision making process. Employers are therefore always looking for job seekers skilled in SQL.
Latest Digital Technologies
Skills such as SEM, ORM, Ruby on Rails, Drupal and more will hold a lot of value on your resume. Technologies keep evolving and software keep on updating. That is why, it is important to remain current with the latest updates. Employers are looking for candidates who are well-versed with the latest technologies.
Employers these days also look for candidates who can mention skills that they are unaware of – technologies even the company isn’t aware of. This shows the hiring management that the candidate is ahead of the curve in terms of technology.
Agile Methodology Skills
Tech savvy companies are also agile companies. This is why they look for candidates who know a thing or two about agile methodology. In agile organisations, projects are broken into smaller, more manageable tasks. Making projects more manageable makes it easy for various departments to work together.
Most tech companies are champions of agile methodology and are looking for candidates who know how to use project management software like Trello and Red Booth. Agile methodology is collaborative and flexible. It will help you to have this skill under your belt.
Big Data Analytics
As mentioned earlier, we are living in the age of big data. Companies are looking for individuals who can make sense of all this. They are looking for people who can manage large sets of data and transform that into information and intelligence. Big data is a critical part of various functions, including customer service, brand management, sales and marketing and many others.
Employers are looking for applicants who can bring out real value from data analytics. This allows them to cope with any risks the enterprise might face.
User Experience
Many fields these days require converting the sales and marketing communication to be moved from conventional to digital mediums. This shift to online systems require individuals who master the art of user experience designs.
Understanding HTML, Adobe and JavaScript will benefit you a lot. Tech companies drool over candidates who possess these skills and you will not see yourself unemployed for long.
Mobile Security
The world is mobile. Even computers and laptops are becoming outdated. This is why mobile information security system professionals are in high demand these days.
There is an influx of mobile application development. Mobile application security professionals are highly coveted because of this reason. Even though companies know how to secure mobile apps, there is always a need for enhanced security to fool proof the systems. We have recently seen how mobile apps can be hacked into and misused, posing serious threat to users. This has made mobile security skilled individuals invaluable to any business.
Cloud Computing
Most of the apps these days are cloud based. Instead of storing everything in physical servers, a safer and more reliable method is to use cloud computing. Not only is this cost effective, it also is much more secure.
Hiring a candidate skilled in cloud computing means the business is assuring data security and will also slash costs for the company in the process. Employers are looking for candidates skilled in cloud computing because it has become a vital part of any business.
Data Visualisation
So we have been talking about big data over and over again. Another important part of all this data is how it is represented. Being able to use data visualisation software like Tableau means you will make any boring set of data look visually appealing and attractive, which is so important for those managerial board meetings.
Visual representation also helps companies discover new information that was previously not visible. All this has made it a skill worth having in your resume.
Have you found any other tech skills to be helpful in your job hunt? If you are a recruiter, share you stories with us in the comments below. Moreover, do check our blog post on 10 skills to develop to become a leader at a job that inspires.
