The 10 Skills That Will Equip You for the Jobs of the Future

It’s hard to imagine a world without smart devices or social media platforms. Within a few decades, technology has penetrated every aspect of our lives—personal and professional. All these technological advances have also given rise to a demand for relevant skills that can help ensure that people can meet the job requirements needed to succeed today. Given the speed at which change is occurring, it isn’t hard to imagine that the future, too, will need people to keep pace with a transformed job market and the demand for new skill sets. According to the job search portal Zippia, automation has the potential to replace more than 73 million jobs in the U.S. by 2030. So, how can we stay on top of a changing world and succeed at landing jobs of the future? 

The good news is that we have a solution to address the job displacement problem. Upskilling and reskilling programs will help the workforce acquire new skills and transition to in-demand jobs. But along with technological skills, the workforce of tomorrow will also need a change in mindset—a shifting of gears—to be prepared for change and succeed in the jobs of the future. 

How to Prepare for the Jobs of the Future

You must take proactive steps and enhance your skills to safeguard your career prospects. This list of proven tips and tricks will come in handy to help you acquire skills for your career.

Step 1: Identify Potential Challenges

You must be aware of any immediate or potential factors that could put your job at risk. This could be emerging technologies that could make your role redundant, or lead to skill or knowledge gaps. 

Step 2: Overcome Obstacles

Once you know the problem, take the necessary steps to overcome it. For example, you can take relevant courses to learn new technologies or software, through formal education or online training programs.

Step 3: Upskill

Upskilling helps you develop new skills or enhance existing ones. It further assists you in exploring pathways that will help your career development. You can perform better in your current role and explore new employment opportunities. 

Step 4: Learn to Adapt

Resistance to accepting and adapting to change, such as emerging technologies or increasing automation of certain jobs, is one of the biggest roadblocks to future-proofing your career. Be ready to adapt and consider any change you encounter as a chance to advance your skills.

ALSO READ: 5 Top Emerging Trends That Will Define the Workforce of the Future

What are the Top 10 In-Demand Skills Needed for the Future?

1. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving abilities include identifying problems, discovering possible solutions, and applying your knowledge to implement the best solution for a particular problem.

2. Mindfulness

Being mindful is a useful, necessary ability. Being aware of what is happening around you and attuned to the changes that are taking place are attributes of mindfulness. You should learn to absorb what is going on without being overwhelmed. Mindfulness, in the context of your career, would mean being aware of the changes in your industry or company, and staying updated with what is going on (like learning new technologies). This will help you be better prepared to handle—even excel—in a rapidly evolving workspace.

3. Resilience

This refers to the capacity to overcome a challenging situation or a crisis quickly and effectively. Resilience means having a flexible mindset that allows you to adapt fast and stay clear-headed while you deal with any difficulty. It requires mental and emotional strength to find your way out of unfavorable circumstances.

4. Adaptability

Being able to accept and adjust to a changed situation is becoming increasingly valuable today. You must learn to adapt to new changes in the workplace by staying informed about industry trends and advances so that you can transition seamlessly into a different work environment or transformed way of working.

5. A Strong Executive Presence

An intangible, hard-to-define concept, executive presence is often considered a leadership quality. While it is certainly a good trait for a leader, it is also much more than that. A recently evolved idea, executive presence refers to a unique quality one possesses (or cultivates) that helps inspire confidence in others. Broadly speaking, executive presence refers to one’s ability to project confidence, credibility, and authority in a professional setting.

ALSO READ: What is Executive Presence? The Leadership Quality No One Told You

6. Ethical Literacy

Acquiring knowledge about ethics and the consequences of any decisions can help you make better decisions. Many institutions offer courses and programs in business ethics, which can provide a solid foundation on the specific subject. The capacity to make the right decision on the job, that will improve or benefit your colleagues and organization, is an important skill, not just for the jobs of the future, but right now as well.

7. Financial Prudence

Financial prudence is a highly essential skill so that you have something to fall back on during economic uncertainties, or if you find yourself between jobs. Practicing financial prudence involves designing a well-researched savings and investment plan to safeguard your money and secure your interests.

8. Negotiating Skills

Strong negotiation skills are essential to accomplishing your aims through effective communication. You should have the ability to persuade others to your point of view. The ability to negotiate is extremely important for conflict resolution. 

9. Digital Know-How

Digital literacy refers to the ability to use digital technology and communication tools to access, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate information across platforms.

Given the tech-driven world we live in, you will only benefit by learning all there is to know about Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) technologies. Then there is the impact that artificial intelligence and machine learning will have on the jobs of the future, so awareness and literacy of the digital universe will be important.  

10. Data Literacy

Data literacy refers to the ability to read, understand, and analyze data. This is one of the most in-demand skills required in the data-oriented world we live in. You can also learn about common graphs such as scatterplots, line graphs, bar charts, and pie charts if you want to understand data and find patterns.

Stay Updated with Emeritus

Learning new skills is important to stay competitive in the job market, meet the demands of the job, broaden employment opportunities, increase your earning potential, and advance your career. You need to develop the essential skills to be ready to take on and succeed at the jobs of the future. This is where we come in. Choose from a wide range of Emeritus courses that will help you explore new skill sets and technology to future-proof your career.

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