As the economy becomes increasingly digital with each passing year, and remote work looks to be the labour arrangement of the future, tech skills increasingly play a role in workplace success regardless of the industry. Employers already look for an ability to use a range of digital tools and evaluate these abilities alongside important job and industry-related skills. Below are some universally-appreciated tech skills that add value to any resume.
Advanced Excel Skills
It is highly unlikely that anyone who has used a computer consistently throughout their academic and professional careers does not have at least basic Excel experience. That is to say, they can open a new spreadsheet, create sheets within sheets, format cells, insert graphs and perhaps use some of the basic functions. That, however, is barely scratching the surface of this enormously complex program.
Excel is the beating heart of much of the data analytics software and is the foundation of popular workflow management tools like Airtable. For those who really know their way around Excel and, even better, for those who are adept with Excel's VBA programming language, the value added to almost any position is significant.
Cybersecurity Knowledge
Cybersecurity breaches constitute one of, if not the largest threats to businesses of all sizes in the digital era. With remote work and employees accessing sensitive company data from outside the office and often using personal devices, the opportunities for cybercriminals have skyrocketed. A business' people almost invariably constitute the biggest cybersecurity threat, which is why having training in cybersecurity best practices and threat management is so essential.
Many businesses are investing in training programs for existing employees, which delve into things like authorization and authentication, spotting malware and ransomware, and how to detect phishing and other techniques employed by cybercriminals. Coming into the interview with this kind of knowledge and training will make you stand out now and well into the future.
SEO
SEO skills are likely role-related prerequisites for anyone applying for a digital marketing-related position, but they are skills that are generally in high-demand across industries and can be leveraged and utilized regardless of your primary specialization. SEO is the backbone of the digital marketing strategy of most companies with a major online presence. It is the most scalable and sustainable marketing strategy and companies are usually willing to pay good money for experienced SEOs.
Having SEO as an additional asset on your resume is attractive to employers because that knowledge can be used to bridge communication barriers between whatever department or role you are being hired for and marketing functions. Marketing often complains of a language barrier between them and the rest of the organization and having employees who are able to, in effect, translate is useful.
Virtual Meeting and Collaboration Experience
If anyone whose job went remote over the last year was unfamiliar with programs like Slack and Zoom prior to the pandemic, they are likely well-versed in them now. As teams continue to go both remote and global, virtual meeting and collaboration tools will become an essential part of the way many, if not most firms do business.
Knowing how to navigate and use these tools is a matter of practice and experience, but for companies who rely on them for day-to-day processes and tasks, being able to seamlessly fit into existing digital communication structures could be what distinguishes two otherwise equally qualified candidates.
Conclusion
To work in a digital world demands digital skills. Some of these skills are acquired as a matter of course, especially by digital natives, as people go about their daily lives. Others require some effort. The above skills, however, will add value to your resume, in any industry, at any point in your career.
