6 Job Skills Needed to Succeed in a Post-COVID-19 World
Due to the fact that most of us are in lockdown due to COVID-19, we are now wondering what a world post-COVID-19 will look like and what will be the job skills needed in it to succeed. There’s a lot unknown about how the world could well transform after we get the novel coronavirus under control. However, it is very unlikely that things would just go back to exactly the way they were before. Our workplaces would most probably change and with it, the skills most of the organizations require. To cater to those essential changes, we will provide a list of 8 essential job skills that are will be in high demand in a post-COVID-19 world.
Commit to a Lifetime of Learning
Due to the advent of machine learning and artificial intelligence, most of the job skills that are termed as essential today will become irrelevant. There is only one viable strategy to remain relevant in a post-COVID-19 world. It is a commitment to a lifetime of learning and development. When faced with a tight job market, professionals having expert job skills would be high in demand and would also struggle to find employment. However, improving your skills has never been easier. There are endless massive open online courses (MOOCs) available on the internet that will help you to improve your skills.
Critical Thinking
An extremely important skill that would be important as our global economy rebuilds from the damage caused by COVID-19 is critical thinking. In the pandemic, we have seen an increase in misrepresentation and fake news as leaders, businesses, and governments have been trying hard to shift their blame and divert attention. Individuals that are able to objectively assess and evaluate data through the means of diverse sources to determine what is credible would be of massive importance. Not all data is reliable. However, organizations should rely on critical thinking to understand what information can inform their decision-making.
Coding and other digital skills
As a result of the COVID-19, the digital transformation of companies has got a massive boost. As a result, professionals having different digital skills, including web development, coding and digital marketing. This would be highly essential for their future growth. Individuals that are able to keep their digital business successful during pandemic or economic downturns could well make in-person business impossible or even less efficient on the must-hire list. As a result, all organizations are now digitally based in one way or the other, so the opportunities to put digital skills to work are countless and is one of the many job skills needed. Technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, the Internet of Things and robotics could well make organizations highly resilient for future pandemics. Anyone that could allow companies to exploit such technologies would certainly be in a great position.
Data analytics
Data is an important asset for every organization. With the optimum level of access to data, organizations should focus on predicting the influence of future business disruptions. This will help them to serve all the customers by providing them the right products and services during or after any pandemic. Organizations that are able to develop a better understanding of shifting customer requirements and business trends can respond in the right manner if a future pandemic does come along. However, the data would be useless for an organization until and useless there is data literacy. Professionals with sufficient levels of data literacy would certainly be more beneficial for potential employers.
Adaptability
One thing is for sure, the manner in which organizations operate will certainly change. The world is rapidly changing. However, the pandemic has accelerated the change. There would be very few jobs for life. To succeed in a post-COVID-19 world, we would be required to adapt to ever-evolving workplaces. As a result, the ability to continuously update and refresh our skills would be highly beneficial and is one of the job skills needed.
Creativity & Innovation
As a result of the pandemic, we have certainly seen the significance of creativity and innovation. Organizations that have come up with different ways to provide different services virtually or are able to shift to new products have been able to respond to the changing business demands. In a post-COVID-19 world, it will become essential to invent, dream up new products and ways of working. As a result, innovation and creativity will be the job skills needed.
