We live in a constantly changing, stressful world that requires us to quickly and adequately process vast amounts of information. Another important characteristic of this world is inevitable aging. The proportion of older people is steadily increasing. The urban environment is changing before our eyes – cities strive to be comfortable, provide more benefits for public use, and adapt to each resident. A thrifty attitude to nature is becoming increasingly important: a green lifestyle and environmentally responsible development are among the global trends.
And in this dynamic world, we must understand that an honors diploma from a university or hard skills gained over many years of experience is no longer enough. It is necessary to acquire other new competencies already today. We need to understand what competencies we need to have in order to remain competitive in the labor market. This article will consider 18 skills to stay relevant in today’s wjobtoday’srl.
Table of Contents
Ecological thinking
Competence is about love and respect for the nature around us. Global environmental problems are not a matter of a separate group but each person’s attitude to the planet’s naplanet’salth. Ecological thinking gives an understanding of what is happening and shifts the focus from reckless consumption to planning measures to reduce energy consumption, water consumption, or natural raw materials, as well as reduce the amount of waste produced (recycling of waste, the use of biodegradable materials).
Project management
Management skills are qualities and abilities that must be possessed to perform specific tasks. They include the ability to conduct business avoid crises, and quickly resolve problems when they arise.
More and more companies are now creating internal project teams to solve specific problems. Also, people do not choose one specific employer but simultaneously provide services to several companies. Therefore, everyone is expected to have leadership qualities and the ability to prioritize and form a team for any task.
Management skills aren’t justaren’teaders. At any level, organizing yourself and your work is important, so there is no overload. Plus, we are surrounded by projects that require control. These are projects to make a landing page, hold a holiday, or build a house. But such tasks tend to fail. Managerial skills help to reduce the number of failures.
System thinking
This competence is most relevant in times of constant change, and the ability to apply systems thinking in regular activities will allow you to see how a change in one element affects the difference in the entire system.
Working with people
The implementation of many projects today is already impossible alone. In order to implement projects faster and more efficiently, it is necessary to build communication with different people, consider other participants’ opinions, show empathy, and resolve conflict situations.
Negotiation skills
There is still a stereotype that negotiations are about gathering people in jackets and ties around a large table. It is any conversation in which the interests and desires of people meet. Every day we participate in many negotiations: with family, colleagues, and clients.
Candidates for interviews do not prepare and get lost. Freelancers, and sometimes small companies, out of fear of a serious conversation, hide from clients, lose money, and with them their reputation. Managers bend to customers and then turn their teams.
Knowledge about negotiations helps not only in the daily work routine but also gives more confidence in situations that seem hopeless. Communication skills are essential to solve problems faster, achieve goals, and defend interests.
Think of negotiation as a 3-step process:
- What we will talk about – preparation and context
- Negotiations themselves – attention to the interlocutor
- Receiving a decision – do not sacrifice your interests and do not compromise
Leadership
Leadership is the ability to show people certainty in an incomprehensible, problematic future. Make a promise to reach the goal if we believe in the idea. The leader is the one who “needs the “ost.” He leads “and develops people and is ready to be responsible for the result and consequences of the choice.
Leadership qualities are relevant not only for leaders. Employers are interested in the leadership qualities of each candidate. People who know how to motivate, inspire and mentor each other to transfer skills are a team that gets results faster.
What is important for a leader:
- Negotiations. The leader knows how to inspire the team and convince them of the correctness of the chosen path.
- Courage. He is responsible not only for his decisions and results but also for the team’s work.
- Curiosity and passion for your work. If they are not, then with a high probability people will feel it. Then it will be difficult for them to trust your idea. The leader knows how to raise passion, if necessary, translate it into goals, develop a plan and achieve results.
- The ability to concentrate on the most important. The leader focuses on the problem, and its solution, does not switch to a bunch of small tasks, and remembers the priorities.
- Ability to listen. The leader always works with the team. Being a good listener improves relationships by making it easier for you to negotiate and resolve conflicts. During the dialogue, you are not in your thoughts but really analyze the interlocutor’s point of view and his motivation. This inspires the trust and disposition of the speaker.
- Honesty and openness. It is important to be sincere and honest in all circumstances. The leader must be able to take responsibility for his mistakes, admit them, and draw conclusions.
- Help others grow. Great projects cannot be created without a team. Therefore, a good leader knows the strengths and weaknesses of colleagues. Creates a knowledge transfer system introduces grading or uses any other methods that simplify the development path of team members.
Working in conditions of uncertainty
When constant changes mean stability, it is important to be able to manage your condition on your own – tune in to work effectively and control yourself in stressful situations.
Programming, artificial intelligence, robotics
This competence in the near future will be considered basic, as MS Office is today. The ability to customize robots and artificial intelligence systems for tasks chosen by a person will increase competitiveness in the market.
Habits of artistic creativity
The creation of new non-standard solutions in a world where the further development of one manufacturer will be copied by another the next day will be in demand among employers.
Multilingualism and multiculturalism
The Internet, English proficiency, and a vast network of air travel worldwide allow us to study the experience of companies from our fields in other countries to produce goods and services together. In addition to fluency in English, you will need to know a second language and understand the national and cultural context of the partner countries.
Interdisciplinary communication
Many professions are already emerging at the intersection of different industries: IT and construction, science and art, personnel management, and marketing. Therefore, many specialists in the near future will need an understanding of processes in related fields.
Customer orientation
Today, many leading companies measure NPS among their customers, hold various additional events, and use different communication channels in order to be closer to those for whom the product or service is being created. Proximity to the client and the ability to accurately hear his main request and offer the most suitable solution for him is the future of companies.
Economical manufacturing
This is a process management concept based on the constant desire to eliminate all types of waste through the continuous involvement of each employee in improving the business and maximum customer orientation.
Economical manufacturing is the skill to prevent and eliminate waste, find bottlenecks and improve project work. This approach extends to the entire activity process – from planning to implementing the final goal.
Economical manufacturing helps save the resources of a particular person or an entire company. You will not burn out if you calculate the load correctly, so you will have time to do more and better. Learn to simplify – reduce the number of actions that take time and do not help achieve the goal.
Life-long learning
Neither companies nor their employees can do without the ability to adapt to new conditions. At the heart of these transformations is learning. But “adult lear “ing is a complex and non-linear process. It has stages of acceleration, recessions, and plateaus. Moreover, it is most difficult for successful professionals to develop. Having achieved income and career growth, it is difficult to admit that you need to learn something new. Valuable employees are less likely to lose jobs and find new jobs faster. To become an indispensable worker, you must constantly learn new skills and responsibilities. It is unnecessary to undergo professional retraining every year, but you can regularly study courses (even free ones), read books, and watch lectures. And also constantly monitor what professions and areas are now in demand in the country and the world.
Find information
In difficult times, many unverified and unreliable facts appear on the Internet, social networks, and television. To avoid drowning in the news flow, learning how to search for information is important. Perhaps this is one of the key skills of the 21st century.
To get started, you can follow a few simple tips:
- Identify multiple news sources. Well, if they are from different channels. Quality media should provide perspectives from all sides and be based on facts, not just opinions.
- Do not trust anonymous sources. For example, it probably shouldn’t be bshouldn’teriously if the news is sent in a chat without specifying the author.
- Don’t give. Don’t have emotions. If some news or material in the media evokes strong feelings: fear, anger, hatred, you should put them aside and look for unemotional facts.
Take care of your health
Now it’s even mites essential to take care of your health. It is better to give up bad habits – at the same time, you will be able to save on buying cigarettes, alcohol, and sweets – and acquire useful ones: play sports, walk in the fresh air, eat vegetables and fruits, and get enough sleep. It is also worthwhile to undergo medical examinations on time (this can be done for free) and carefully care for your teeth.
Adapt to changes
The crisis is a time of change and new opportunities. You can lose money, but you can earn. For example, we discussed paying off your mortgage faster with high-interest deposits.
It is essential to quickly get used to bad and good changes and start acting in new circumstances. Those fired from their jobs may find a temporary part-time job, a better new job, or change careers altogether.
Cope with stress
Unpleasant news and events can unsettle even an inveterate optimist. Stress impairs health and performance, and this, in turn, can adversely affect financial well-being.
Communicating with close and pleasant people, playing with pets, walking in nature, and reading calm books help to survive negative emotions. You can try meditation or light physical activity – for example, dancing to your favorite music. If you have insomnia, you should ventilate and darken the room well, give up gadgets, tea, coffee, and solid food sometime before bedtime and try to go to bed simultaneously.
Conclusion
Based on the competencies presented, the demand for employees as professionals largely depends on success in communications and interaction. The trends of recent years show that the expected future comes earlier, so today, it is necessary to build your development and the development system in the company, focusing on key competencies.