This is the most in-demand job skill right now
This article was provided to The Construction Coach by resumebuilder.com and does not reflect the views of the owner of the site.
A recent resumebuilder.com survey asked 1250 hiring managers across multiple industries to identify the remote-work skills they believe are the most valuable in light of the pandemic and its effect on the way Americans work, what their expansion plan looks like and how they plan to attract and retain workers with the skillsets their targeting.
The U.S. economy is beginning to recover from the pandemic-related recession, and hiring is increasing across multiple industries. Resumebuilder’s survey found that nearly 1 in 4 organizations plan to increase staff by 20 percent. To meet that end, employers are offering a number of new perks. The survey found that flexible work schedules are being utilized the most by employers followed by remote work options, retirement plans, and life insurance policies.
However, before you start pin-pointing attractive jobs and applying, you may want to revise your resume to make sure it includes the most in-demand skill employers are seeking in a post-pandemic world.
Key Findings
● 38% of hiring managers say video chat proficiency is the most valuable skill to have right now.
● Half of all hiring managers say the pandemic has affected which skills they are seeking in job applicants.
● Organizations are expanding staff by 20%.
Video chat proficiency is the most in-demand skill right now
After a year in which American employees scattered to remote-work locations and meetings shifted from conference rooms to virtual spaces, it’s no surprise that the top skill employers are looking for is video chat proficiency.
“In the new work environment, video chat proficiency is a necessary skill for working efficiently and team building,” Resumebuilder.com Career Development Expert Stacie Haller said. “It’s a way of communicating and building rapport as organizations struggle to bring team members together remotely. A new employee without this skill will struggle to get up to speed, fail to build relationships with other employees, and delay necessary communications. Hiring with this skill quickly closes that gap up front.”
Thirty-eight percent of all respondents say that they want job candidates who are proficient in the various types of video-conferencing software available, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
This skill is even more in-demand at organizations where employees are working remotely full-time. Forty-nine percent of hiring managers at fully-remote companies say video chat proficiency is the skill they most want to see on a resume. According to Haller, job candidates are having their on-screen skills tested even earlier than they might think.
“What most candidates do not realize is that their video chat, IT, and computer skills are being evaluated during the interview process,” she explained. “Candidates must be prepared right off the bat to demonstrate proficiency, no matter how much those interviewing them say it’s ‘just a conversation.’ ”
“In the new work environment, video chat proficiency is a necessary skill for working efficiently and team building,”
Location flexibility ranks second
Second to video chat proficiency is multi-workspace adaptability. Nearly 1 in 4 hiring managers say the ability for employees to work in any type of setting (on-site, at home) using a variety of technologies (computer, phone, etc.) is their most sought-after skill right now.
Additional data from our survey indicates why hiring managers are prioritizing location flexibility as more than half of organizations, 52%, are operating on hybrid schedules, with employees working part-time remotely, and part-time on-site.
Other remote-work skills that hiring managers are seeking include:
● Self-motivation (11%)
● Strong written communication skills (9%)
● Emotional stability and the ability to seamlessly adapt to change (8%).
1/2 of hiring managers say pandemic reshaped hiring practice
Overall, half of the hiring managers we surveyed say that the pandemic has affected the type of skills they look for in new hires. Depending on the specific industry, an even greater percentage of hiring managers say their priorities have shifted when it comes to the skills they want employees to bring with them to a new job.
Sixty-four percent of hiring managers in the computer and information technology industry say the pandemic affected the skills they value. Other industries that saw a significant shift in valued skills include advertising and marketing (60%), business and finance (58%), and education (57%).
How to showcase in-demand skills on your resume
For individuals job-searching in this new environment, here are some tips on how to highlight these in-demand skills on your resume:
● Review job descriptions carefully to identify keyword skills that employers are seeking.
● Craft a strong, brief branding statement that highlights your strongest relevant skills for the position you are seeking.
● Tailor the skills or core competencies section of your resume for each application to include the keyword hard and soft skills identified from the job description.
● Demonstrate your proficiency with these skills in the experience section of your resume, including specific responsibilities at current or past jobs that utilize these skills.
● Highlight quantifiable achievements that are based on your aptitude with in-demand hard and soft skills.
● Emphasize knowledge of specific software or other technologies that are relevant to the job you’re seeking.
Methodology
The data from this report comes from an online survey created and paid for by ResumeBuilder.com. The survey was administered by online survey platform Pollfish on April 25, 2021. We surveyed 1250 hiring managers across multiple industries on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected soft skills they are seeking in job candidates, current work structure, and anticipated job growth as their companies.
For full survey results, please visit https://www.pollfish.com/dashboard/results/256944822/-1578863497.