If you are trying to polish up your resume by including new skills that might help you get that dream job, you need to know what top skills the companies are looking for right now. Your resume needs to be a blend of hard and soft skills in a specific ratio. Soft skills are those you acquire from your personality or character, such as creativity, teamwork, etc.
Depending on these skills, companies may or may not hire you after deciding whether you will be a good fit for their work environment. On the other hand, hard skills are those you acquire through your education or training and are related to your job work. Some examples of hard skills are marketing, SEO, web development, social media management, etc.
If you have already set your goal or you have a job in mind, the only thing you have to do is to get certified hard skills that will put you one step ahead of others. Nowadays, training for these skills is available even in the online mode and accessible through your phone or laptop itself.
Below listed are the top 8 hard skills most companies are looking for in the current year 2021.
Data Analysis
This job entails analyzing and screening collected raw data using specific tools like SQL, Python, Excel, etc., and later presenting the analysis to the company. Most often, the companies that reach out to employees in this field include banks, hospitals, educational institutes, etc. Preferably applicants should have a degree in STEM subjects or statistics; still, it is more important to have expertise in using programming language and tools like Python, Excel, SQL, Java, etc. This field is a highly competitive one, so one must hone their skills by taking part in boot camps, internships, online training, courses, etc. These will help you to gain practical experience along with an excellent theoretical foundation.
Digital Marketing
With more and more products coming to the market, companies require marketing skills to drive their sales. Therefore, good verbal communication skills are a must, along with hard skills relevant to your chosen profile. At present, social media marketing is one of the most efficient and impactful strategies to reach your target audience, and this requires specialization in tools like GoogleAds, Google Trends, etc. In addition, expertise in MS Office, SEO(Search Engine Optimization), and CMS( Content Management System)tools like WordPress is a requirement to work in this field.
Web Development
All companies require websites for their functioning and interaction with their audience. Web developers are hired for this role, but it requires specific skills which land you this job. Web development requires building exclusive content for a website and maintaining its smooth working and accessibility to the users. The most common tools used to develop a website are HTML(Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript, etc. However, it only involves the non-design part of the website. You must also be familiar with back-end web development processes; hence being trained in APIs, SQL, etc., is also required.
Web Designing
What follows web development is web designing. It involves creating from scratch the layout and appearance of the website and later making changes to it when required. It goes without saying it plays a huge part in representing the company in front of its audience. Web designing requires expertise in specific skills and tools like Photoshop, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Web Designer, SEO, UX, and UI Design, etc. Excellent communication and creativity skills are required from a web designer to be able to represent the company in the most creative way possible.
Copywriting
To become a copywriter, you need excellent creative writing skills and the ability to use that creative mind to attract the audience to the product. They are responsible for making catchy taglines and content which advertises the product or the company in the most aesthetically pleasing way. This job requires you to do a lot of research, be up-to-date with the trends, work on the feedback and sit with the marketing team to create something totally out of the box as a tagline or content. In addition to this, they should also be familiar with SEO, CMS, UX tools for their content creation.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence involves the simulation of the human brain and its working by machines or computers. Machines have to be programmed in a manner that they can perform tasks that require decision making, problem-solving, etc. It is a given that the job requires expertise in programming skills like Python, Java, C++, etc. In addition to that, the programmer must also come from a mathematical background and have a firm grip on core mathematical skills like statistics, linear algebra, etc. According to your skills, you can apply for different jobs under AI- Research Scientist, machine learning engineer, business intelligence developer, etc.
Coaching/Consultant
Even though a particular educational background is not needed, MBA and Business majors usually land this job. Your qualification background should be appropriate for the type of company hiring. In this job, it is imperative you maintain good networking among your peers. Skills like understanding the current commercial and business environment, problem-solving and good communication are required. Since anyone with these skills can apply, this is a highly competitive job. What can put you ahead of others is applying for internships under various consultancies to get practical knowledge before the actual appointment.
Investment Banking
Investment Banking has always stayed on the list of top jobs of all time. At current times, people are starting to invest as early as in their 20s. An investment banker gives financial assistance/advice to the companies or corporations that hire them to raise their capital. This job requires a particular skill set- financial modeling, dealing with transaction documents, negotiation tactics, building pitchbooks, and presenting financial advice to the company. Having a Master’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, and other related fields may land you this job. Along with this, having CFA certification is also needed in this field.
