In recent years, there has been a massive shift toward soft skills. More and more employers are paying more attention to them than to hard (tech) abilities. 2019 LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report confirms this statement. According to it, 89% of recruiters claim that most of the time, when a hire doesn’t work out, that’s because of a lack of soft skills.
Knowing this, many young students now focus on developing soft abilities like communication, teamwork, and others. But the truth is they won’t get you far alone. You still need solid technical abilities to get hired. They will boost your resume and set you apart from the competition. And now, while you are in college, is the best time to develop them.
To get started, you might want to find a trusted “write my paper for me” service that can provide you with academic support and free your time. This way, you will be able to focus on what matters for your future career without harming your grades. And when you have enough time, consider building the following five tech skills that are indispensable for fresh graduates!
Digital Literacy
Although you will rarely find digital literacy among typical job requirements, it’s one of the most crucial abilities in the 21st century. It might not be listed in job postings, but it’s demanded by default.
So what does it stand for? In a nutshell, digital literacy is overall proficiency in using different kinds of technology. It involves understanding how to work with different gadgets, how to use the internet, and how to research and interpret digital data. Since most jobs require the use of the web and different devices, this is a must-have ability for everyone.
Besides, digital literacy also involves the ability to adapt very quickly to new technology. This is also crucial for success in the modern labor market.
Cybersecurity
Another must-have tech skill is cybersecurity. According to industry reports, around 2,200 cyber attacks take place every day. A new attack is believed to happen on average every 39 seconds, and the cost of data breaches in the US averages $9.44 million. These numbers explain why cybersecurity is such a big deal today and why most successful companies are built around it. And they also explain why future professionals should become proficient in it too.
Regardless of the type of career you choose, knowing the basics of security will definitely help. These basics include:
- Data encryption;
- Firewalls and routers;
- Understanding of HIPAA, CCPA, and other compliance regulations and standards, etc.
First of all, knowing these basics will help you protect yourself on the internet. Secondly, it can become an excellent addition to your future resume.
Spreadsheeting
This must be one of the most boring things to engage in, but spreadsheeting is still a thing. Basically, it’s the ability to use tools like Google Sheets or Excel to create, manage, and maintain spreadsheets effectively. This skill can come in handy while you are still in college. In fact, some majors interact with spreadsheets quite a lot. But even if you don’t, you should definitely take some time to master it.
Spreadsheeting can come in handy in many different sectors and roles. Namely, it can be one of the requirements for customer support, sales, management, supervision, development, and many other positions. Thus, if you acquire this skill early on, it will definitely benefit your future employment.
(https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/learn-learning-education-studying-concept_16445404.htm)
Social Media Savviness
The next ability is also crucial for professionals across all industries. Now, we are living in a world where social media plays a significant role. We use social media to connect and network, share ideas and experiences, interact with prospects and customers, and do much more. Thus, being able to leverage social media in your daily life and work is incredibly important today. So this is one more thing you need to learn.
To get started, get on such social networks as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and others. Figure out how they work and what opportunities they offer. If you are already on these platforms, learn how you can make the most out of using them. This knowledge can help you in a variety of ways, from assisting in your future job search to let you progress your career in the future. So be sure to attain this skill.
Word Processing
Finally, this is one of the most basic skills. In a nutshell, word processing stands for the ability to type fast and properly. Needless to say, this ability is used in pretty much every job, whether for communication with the team or customers or for typing work-related documents. So this is something everyone needs to master too.
As a student, you are probably facing plenty of academic papers. Chances are that you have to type most of them, and this is excellent practice for your word processing. However, there are many other ways to hone this ability. For example, if you find typing papers too challenging or boring, you can delegate your task to reputable paper writing services and use specialized games and apps to boost your typing in another way. Also, apart from boosting the quality and speed of typing, take time to master the basics of formatting digital documents. All these skills will definitely come in handy in the workplace!
The Bottom Line
There is a common misconception that tech skills only matter for IT jobs. In fact, this is not true. You might pursue a career in finance, medicine, or any other field that’s not related to technology. Still, your future employers will demand you to have certain hard abilities that will let you do your job effectively.
Due to this reason, it’s important for every student and fresh graduate to develop a range of tech skills early on. Luckily, after reading this article, you know where to start. The abilities we discussed here are the most basic and in-demand ones that every professional should have, regardless of the industry. Start honing them now to ensure future success!
