In a football pitch where everyone is wearing a green shirt, what is the best way to stand out from the crowd?
Most people will want to wear a lighter-Green shirt but that will barely get noticed. The smarter thing to do to stand out from a crowd of people in green shirt is to wear a red shirt. That’s how you get noticed.
This illustrates the dynamics of the human capital market today. Millions of young people leave school every year, with similar academic qualifications. A job vacancy for three positions easily receives several hundred applications. Recruiter and businesses want to be able to pick those candidates that stand out from the crowd. If you want to develop skills that will make you stand out in today’s human capital market, this video is for you. Before we get to it, be sure to subscribe to After School Africa for more insightful videos like this.
1. Research Skills
A random author once said that “Anything you can find within 30 seconds is not worth memorizing”. While this may not apply in every situation, your ability to find information quickly is priceless.
If you are looking for a university to study abroad on scholarship, you need to research schools in different countries and available opportunities. If you are looking for a job, nothing impresses a boss or hiring manager more than someone who has thoroughly researched the company. If you are a writer, you can’t work without good research skills. And if you want to learn a skill, you need to research to find the best learning materials.
Today there are many tools that make researching a lot easier and efficient. For instance, with the Keyword Research Tool, you can perform thorough market research or competitor analysis for your company. In fact, we can safely say that research skill is the foundation of all skills today. You need to be able to find out what is important to know in your industry. This is a highly valuable skill you should have.
2. Data Mining and Analysis
Have you ever noticed that when you buy something on any large eCommerce website, you’ll see a little ad at the bottom that says “customers who bought this also bought that”. Followed by a list of items related to what you bought. This information is possible due to data mining technology which involves using large sets of data to look for anomalies and patterns that can be used to predict future behavior. By examining the millions of sales the business makes they can predict that if you buy item A there is a high chance that you may want to buy one of the other items.
This not only increases sales for the business, but it also serves as a reminder for buyers that they may need these additional items. Data mining and analysis is a very valuable skill that has a wide range of uses. It is a very useful tool for maximizing productivity and sales.
With so many businesses today relying heavily on data about their customers, products, processes, inputs and the market, these organizations are increasingly in need of talented, skilled people who can extract information and insights from data. Whether you want to work as a freelancer or full-time job, data mining and analytics skills is a valuable skill to have.
3. Data Management
All companies today deal with a ton of data, and data is increasingly seen as a corporate asset to increase revenue and profit! Being able to manage that data in an efficient manner is not only highly prized but a necessity. To be able to organize data so that it’s easily and quickly retrievable is an important productivity skill!
Data management is the process of ingesting, storing, organizing and maintaining the data created and collected by an organization. Just like the old fashion filing cabinet, data is only useful if it is well organized. Most of the required work in data management is done by IT and data management teams, but business users typically also participate in some part of the process to ensure that the data meets their needs. The Data Management process involves a wide range of tasks and skills. In general, it includes data architects, data modelers, database administrators, database developers and so on. These skills are highly valuable to businesses today and will make your CV stand out from the crowd.
4. Effective Communication Skills
One of the most important skills you can have is the ability to communicate your way through important and difficult situations both professionally and in everyday life. This involves speaking, listening and writing skills. Employers are not as interested in whether you list these skills on your CV as they are in how you demonstrate your communication skill practically.
If you have good communication skills – written, spoken and listening – you can easily stand out from the pack. However, it’s not too late to start improving your communication skill if you still fall behind. With consistent practice, you can be a better communicator.
5. Marketing Skills
Marketing products or services has always been a highly sought after skill. But in today’s world, it can take on several different forms. Some of the marketing skills that are highly sought after include, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing and campaign management. Interestingly, most of these marketing skills are focused on the internet and can be self-taught.
6. Content Management Skills
Most websites on the internet are built and managed on Content Management Systems. CMS allows website owners and businesses to plan, organize, create and publish content to reach a wide audience on the internet efficiently. Today’s content management systems are more powerful than ever and serve content across a multitude of formats. Website content is largely controlled by a web content manager or an administrator who creates and manages an organization’s digital materials to present new and fresh content to interested online visitors. Content management skills typically require the ability to oversee the planning, organization, creation, and publishing of text, audio, or video content for online consumption. And these are skills businesses across different industries look out for.
7. Graphic Design
Most people can use free apps on their phones to create basic graphic designs. There are lots of free and paid apps you can use to create visually stunning images. But when it comes to delivering premium services for brands, professional graphic design skill goes a long way.
There is an unending need for graphic design skills; thanks to the visually hungry digital media audiences. With our increasing dependency on screens, there is a growing need for people who can create unique visually appealing content. From websites, social media channels to documents, graphic designers have a load of work to do.
Working on your research, data-related, communication, marketing and content management skills will make you a much more desirable candidate for career opportunities! I hope you found this video both enjoyable and informative. If you did, we’ll appreciate it if you’ll like and share this video with someone. If you are yet to subscribe to our channel, now is a good time to hit the subscribe button. Until next time, YOUR SUCCESS MATTERS!
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