5 career skills to hone right now if you're gunning for a promotion
PUBLISHED ONNovember 06, 2019 12:00 AMBygayatri bhaumikaminah ahmad
It’s no secret that if you want to get ahead in your job, you ought to hone the skills that are most relevant to the current market.
The most in-demand today? They fall into two main categories: digital skills like coding, data analysis and digital marketing; and “soft” skills like critical thinking and cultural awareness.
Ashish Raivadera, Head of Private Practice for South East Asia at Major, Lindsey & Africa, says these skills are especially important given the fast-changing landscape, with automation and artificial intelligence taking over more and more jobs.
“Professionals will need to continually learn new skills and understand how to apply a variety of commercial scenarios in one working lifetime,” he says.
Here’s how you can hone these skills and beef up your resume.
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital media has changed the world and marketing strategies with it.
With more than 20 percent of the world’s population on Facebook, a brand’s online presence has become as important as its products and services, and traditional corporations are forced into the world of digital marketing.
“Increased digitalisation has triggered a demand for candidates with experience in digital marketing and e-commerce,” says Ingrid Liew, a senior consultant at Robert Walters Singapore.
“We have seen a sharp rise in recruitment for marketing roles that are digital-focused, as organisations transform their business (from traditional to digital go-to-market models), and look for talent that can help them get there.”
A course you can do: Equinet Academy offers short weekend classes in Digital Marketing for as low as $500. You can find out more at www.equinetacademy.com.
DATA ANALYSIS
Knowing your audience and being able to measure performance through data is just good business sense.
While data analysis may come in handy for research in some jobs, it has become a necessity in others.
For example, jobs in marketing require you to be able to analyse trends and audience engagement.
“Technology has given rise to hybrid roles such as digital marketers who rely on data to plan and manage campaigns,” explains Ingrid.
So while Excel is still important for traditional data analysis, digital tools like Google Analytics, Sprout Social and Tapinfluence are equally vital.
A course you can do: iKompass Singapore offers a three-day course (followed by six months of online learning and an exam) called Big Data Foundation for $3,072.
CODING
Learning a new language has always been useful. But a computer language? In this day and age, it’s essential.
We’re firmly in the grips of a tech boom that shows no signs of stopping, and coding skills, regardless of your industry, will give you an edge.
For example, when pitching a new feature on the company website, knowing if it’s possible to even build it can determine whether your idea will fly.
Plus, you never know when being able to make small back-end tweaks to a website or app will come in useful.
Courses you can do: UpCode Academy offers coding classes that will get you started on languages like HTML, Python and CSS from $2,000.
CULTURAL AWARENESS
Given Singapore’s position on the global stage, being able to navigate cultural nuances is a must.
“Technology is enabling the mobile workforce who are now capable of working remotely, even from another country. With increased diversity in the workforce, candidates with cultural awareness are more in-demand,” says Ingrid.
Pro tip: Saying you’re culturally aware on your resume may not be the classiest move, so you can instead highlight trips you took overseas for social causes.
Bring up these experiences during your job interviews and share some of the things you learnt from working with people of different cultures.
CRITICAL THINKING
Call it creative thinking or problem-solving, but being able to think effectively means you’ll bring fresh ideas and unorthodox solutions to problems.
“With critical thinking, it’s important to demonstrate problem-solving skills by using concrete examples from past work experience,” says Ingrid.
Pro tip: You can highlight your creativity in your resume and interviews by talking about new ideas you introduced in a previous role, or the innovative solutions you implemented to problems you faced.
This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.
