There’s no denying that the job market is tough at the moment. It seems that everyone knows someone looking for something. So how do you get hired? With all those people competing for roles, it’s more important than ever to develop marketable skills that set you head and shoulders above the competition. The good news is that thanks to the magic of the internet, we have unlimited information at our fingertips. Here are 7 marketable skills employers are looking for, and some resources to get you started with each of them.
1. Excel Skills
There’s a reason Excel has been a staple part of work life since the 90s. It really is the backbone of office administration, allowing you to do everything from storing data to generating statistics and creating charts and graphs. Most companies use it in some capacity or another, especially smaller companies who can’t afford to spend thousands and thousands on an inhouse programme or system of their own. And you can even use it in a personal capacity to do things like budget and track personal goals.
Want a skill that will always look good on a CV? A skill that will help you get hired? Dive deep into Excel. You’d be surprised how much it can do.
To get started, here is quick guide to Excel Formulas and Functions:
Along with this, some other good skills to have include:
- Pivot Tables
- Conditional Formatting
- Data Manipulation & Navigation
- Data Connection
- Charts & Visualisations
2. Basic Coding
The world is turning digital. With so much of our lives happening online, there’s never been a better time to learn how to contribute to it. Coding comes in so many forms in so many languages. And as technology develops, so does coding, meaning that it’s a field that’s always exciting. It’s one of the most sought-after skills from employers, especially from SMEs. Often they don’t have a need to hire a full-time person for their coding needs and can’t necessarily afford to outsource every time they do. Companies like this are always on the lookout for someone they can hire in another capacity who can also take care of their coding needs.
Learning how to code is a great way to make yourself a very marketable candidate.
Here is a short guide to basic HTML Coding to get you started:
Want to learn more? Here are some accredited courses from our friends at FutureLearn:
- Learn to Code for the Web
- Programming 101: An Introduction to Python for Educators
- Software Development Basics
- Introduction to Web Development
3. Effective Communication
Communication has been important since the dawn of time, so it’s amazing how often we don’t know how to do it effectively. We often talk over each other and past each other. We don’t know when to speak up and when to wait our turn. So many of us don’t know how to resolve conflict in a healthy way that doesn’t make things worse. Even before we join an office, our interviews often don’t pan out because we’re not communicating our worth effectively.
Every business either lives or dies on the strength of its communication skills. So, one of the easiest ways to make yourself a formidable candidate and to make sure you get hired is to cultivate and demonstrate great communication skills.
Here is a quick guide to effective workplace communication:
Want to be an expert communicator? Here are some other areas to focus on:
4. Social Media Marketing
Most people nowadays use social media in some form or another, making it one of the easiest and most effective ways to promote a product or service. It is often completely free to use, and even when paying you can tailor it to your budget and the market you are trying to reach. This means that almost every company in the world nowadays uses social media marketing to some extent. The catch is that making engaging content takes time and creativity, and many businesses don’t have the resources to do it as effectively as they’d like.
Want to know a sure-fire way to make employers take a closer look at your CV? Show that you know how to use social media marketing to build a brand.
Here’s how to get started with one of the most popular platforms – Facebook:
Expand your awesome marketing skills with these helpful links:
5. Basic Graphic Design
Graphic design goes hand-in-hand with social media. As people, visuals are super important. Think of how many products you’ve bought because of a great advert or the way it was packaged? Companies that want to build a strong brand know that image is a huge part of that, which is why graphic design is such a sought-after skill.
Developing graphic design skills is a great way to get hired. You don’t need to be an expert to make something that will attract eyes to your brand, you just need to know the basics. The cool thing about graphic design is the more you do it, the more you gain an instinct for what works and what doesn’t.
Want a super simple place to start? Here’s an introduction to Canva:
Keen on trying something more involved? Here are some places to look:
6. Foreign Languages
Imagine telling people from a century ago that you could talk to people from anywhere in the world in an instant. That’s the world we’re living in! Many of us have friends from all over the world – some we’ve never even met face-to-face. This is true for business as well. More and more people are shuffling around to different countries, and companies are conducting more and more business internationally. This means that we’re facing new communication challenges. AI translators can help, but you often lose a lot of the nuance of what’s being said. And most companies can’t afford to just hire a full-time translator.
This means that it’s never been more beneficial (or easy) to learn a foreign language. Two great and affordable apps to start with are Duolingo and Babbel.
Serious about learning a new language? Here are some great links:
7. Video & Audio Production
As people we loooove video. Think about how much time we spend watching YouTube, Netflix, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. How many times have you stopped to watch a video that was playing on your social media feed, even if wasn’t anything you’d go look for yourself? If humans are visual creatures, videos are a feast. This means that many businesses now are looking to build their brands this way.
Know how you can make yourself a candidate that gets hired? Learn how to create and edit video content.
To get started, here’s a guide to making a business video:
Check out these resources to get going on making great video content:
Remember:
The needs of every company are different. You never know what an employer might be looking for, so to get hired it’s important to keep learning and growing your skills base. This list is only a small part of the world of useful skills that are out there for you to harness. Even the willingness to develop new skills can be enough to make you a candidate that gets hired.
