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Top 5 skills to succeed in a post-pandemic world

The post covid corporate world is in no mood to settle with professionals’ existing set of skills. To remain an asset, you need to level up. You have to portray yourself as a strong candidate with skills and qualifications relevant for today; someone whose talents can be harnessed to scale any business. Especially so, because the competition today is greater than ever.

Trends will come and go. The economy and culture will have tide shifts. But the new normal is here to stay. Companies aren’t looking for the number of years of experience candidates hold, but the skills they bring to the table to transform their organization.

To ensure you remain afloat the talent pool, and critically amongst the top candidates, here are the best skills you can learn and imbibe.

  • Get tech-savvy:
    If you aren’t a tech-savvy person or are someone who likes going old-school, this might be a good time to start learning. Online courses, practical classes, self-learning- Anything works. And if you are someone already into technology, your existing knowledge will most likely not make the cut. You may want to brush up and absorb the latest from the digital world.
    The reality is that the latest technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, big data, the Internet of Things, and robotics will make businesses more resilient to future pandemics. And anyone who can help companies exploit these will remain most sought-after.
  • Learn to lead:
    Strong leadership skills aren’t only preferred for those holding managerial positions. The pandemic has shed light on the need to have resilient leaders who can encourage and motivate employees during difficult times. In a post-pandemic world, people will be working in more fluent teams where people take the lead at different times. Another crucial skill to learn would be emotional intelligence (EQ)
  • Flex adaptability and flexibility:
    Things have changed drastically in the corporate world, and it will continue to change. In this fast-pacing environment, you cannot expect the usual “jobs for life” scenario. Being flexible is the need of the hour. And it isn’t just about the geographical aspects. It is more about having an open mindset, adjusting to new and unexpected deadlines, prioritizing tasks, being able to work well under pressure, and perhaps also takin on additional responsibilities that come up.
  • Creativity beyond the cliches:
    To be able to better weather the storm, professionals need to get more creative than ever. It isn’t about merely thinking of creative strategies anymore. Human ingenuity is needed to invent, dream up new products and look for new ways of working. During the pandemic, several companies switched to newer products that were in demand, allowing them to survive while others shut down due to lack of work and sales.
  • Improve your data literacy:
    Data is like fuel for every company. With the right data, companies can better predict the impact of future business disruptions, in turn allowing them to serve their customers with the right products and services- irrespective of the pandemic trend. However, this data becomes useless to any company unless its people understand how to make best use of it- aka are data literate. Such professionals are equipped with skills to understand the data and make better decisions because of it, making them more appealing to prospective employers.

Be better armed with these skills to ensure you remain the top choice for employers, more so to remain viable in the post-pandemic corporate world.

 

(The author is Dr. Nishat Afzal, Communications Manager, Keka HR. and the views expressed in this article are her own)

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