To stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing job market, you need to have an arsenal of highly marketable skills at your disposal.
They’ll allow you to earn more, get promoted, and be spotted by recruiters and potential business partners. So what are the best marketable skills to learn right now? Below, you’ll find a list of the most in-demand skills worth developing.
5 of The Best Marketable Skills To Learn Right Now
Acquiring new skills benefits you professionally and opens you up to unlimited opportunities for personal improvement. When searching for the best marketable skills that are worthwhile to learn, consider developing hard skills that are more technical and soft skills that will help you communicate more effectively at work. Technical skills include computer coding and digital literacy, while soft skills can involve communication, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, and leadership. Both skill types are necessary for our modern environment, especially if you desire to advance in your industry. Which of these skills pays the most?
1. Social Media Marketing
With over 3 billion social media users worldwide, it’s no surprise that companies today include it in their marketing mix. Social media marketers and influencers are currently in high demand. As a social media manager, you would be responsible for creating and managing a brand’s digital presence. This would involve tasks like creating content, conducting market research, engaging with customers, and more.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
With businesses increasingly looking to get their website and content ranking higher in the search engines like Google or Bing, SEO has become an essential skill. As an SEO specialist, you would optimize a website and its content to rise to the top of the search results for the relevant key phrases. This would involve tasks like keyword research, link building, and content optimization. You also have to learn the SEO tools that can help the brand you are managing get optimum digital exposure.
3. Data Science and Analysis
In today’s data-driven world, businesses rely on all available information to create strategies and action plans. That’s why data analysis has become such an important skill. As a data analyst, you would collect, clean, analyze, and secure data. This would involve tasks like using Excel and other software to analyze data sets, creating graphs and charts to visualize data, and more.
4. Project Management
With businesses increasingly relying on projects to get work done, project management has become a critical skill. As a project manager, you would plan, execute, and monitor projects. This would involve tasks like creating project plans, assigning tasks to team members, and keeping track of project progress. It may also require assessing, acquiring, and implementing project management software to streamline various processes.
5. Web Development
Establishing a robust online presence is a must for businesses to thrive in today’s highly competitive market. Ergo, web development became a highly sought skill. As a web developer, you would build and maintain websites. This would involve tasks like coding in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, designing website layouts, and more. Web development ceased to be an exclusive domain of programmers. With website builders like Wix and content management software like WordPress, came the rise of web developers with little to no coding skills.
Here are a few more examples of highly marketable skills:
- Digital marketing
- Content creation and copywriting
- Graphic design
- Video editing
- Sales and business development
- Customer service and support
- Public speaking and presentation skills
- Foreign language proficiency
- Leadership and management skills
- Financial analysis and accounting
- Working with artificial intelligence
- Creative problem-solving and critical thinking.
Learning marketable skills can help you reach your desired income potential. By focusing on skills that are in demand by employers, you can position yourself for success.
How Can Developing Marketable Skills Help Maximize Your Income Potential?
Employers wouldn’t take a chance on an applicant with just the basic computer skills. You need to bring something more to the table. One way to ensure you can command a higher salary is by learning skills that are highly relevant to the needs of modern-day industries. That way, potential employers will know that you’ll fit into their system and that you are worth the HR investment.
Which Skill Sets Are Most In-Demand by Employers Today?
When job hunting, it’s not just about what you know, but also what skills you have that employers seek.
These are the top 10 most in-demand skills from potential hirees, according to a recent study by the World Economic Forum:
- Complex problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- People management
- Coordinating with others
- Emotional intelligence
- Judgment and decision making
- Service orientation
- Negotiation skills
- Cognitive flexibility
If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve and maximize your earning potential, investing in improving your skill set is an easy decision. Not sure where to start? Check out online courses or educational programs that can help you develop the skills employers are looking for.
How to Develop the Best Marketable Skills More Quickly
There are several approaches you can take to develop skills faster. From focusing on specific skills to challenging yourself to push beyond your comfort zone, there is no shortage of ways to do it. You must find the correct approach to learning new skills in a fraction of the time it takes through traditional methods. Here are some tips on how to develop your skills more quickly:
1. Set Clear Learning Goals
Before beginning any learning process, set clear goals and deadlines for yourself so you know what you’re aiming for. Focus your eyes on the prize, so to speak. This will help keep you motivated and focused as you make daily progress. It will also give you an idea of whether you already attained the level you are aiming for in your skill development effort. Football players on the offense do not just think of gaining yards, they want to score a touchdown!
2. Find a Mentor or Coach
A mentor or coach can provide invaluable guidance and advice throughout the whole learning process. They can also offer helpful feedback on areas where improvement is needed and encourage you when the going gets tough.
3. Break It Down Into Manageable Steps
One effective learning technique is to break down the entire process into smaller, actionable steps and tackle them one at a time. This method will allow you to build up more complex skills and challenge yourself in a manageable way. It will also prevent you from getting overwhelmed by the enormity of the whole program. For example, if you want to become fluent in web design, start with basic HTML before moving on to CSS, then JavaScript, then PHP, etc.
4. Practice Makes Perfect
Practice is key in developing any skill – repetition solidifies knowledge which leads to mastery. After breaking down the process into manageable steps, you need to practice whatever you learned in each past lesson or training session. Sports coaches make their players do a series of drills every practice to familiarize them with the range of movements for optimum performance. Another strategy is to reflect on your skills, understand how you can build upon them in the future, and then take action to make that happen.
5. Use Visualization Techniques
Visualizing yourself completing the task or achieving the goal associated with the skill can be incredibly powerful in terms of motivation and focus. This technique works especially well if certain elements within the task require creative thinking or problem-solving abilities, such as coding projects, organizational planning, data analysis, etc.
6. Learn From Others Who Have Succeeded Before You
Learning from those who have already achieved success in whatever field may give insight into what worked (and didn’t work) for them along their journey. Noting lessons learned from others saves valuable time by avoiding common mistakes during the development process. Contemplating others’ past success, on the other hand, will inspire you to move forward. More and more people are trying to reach Mount Everest’s summit because others successfully made the ascent before them. No matter what strategy you choose, developing your skills faster requires commitment and dedication – but the rewards will be well worth it!
Conclusion
In this ever-shifting job market, having the best marketable skills can make all the difference in developing a successful career. Having the right combination of technical and non-technical abilities is key. Acquiring these skills and learning from experts can provide you with greater job security and adaptability throughout your professional life. Now is the perfect time to develop your skill set. Since every industry practically shifted online, it opens incredible opportunities to learn useful skills no matter where you live. Get a jump on learning these skills now so you will be well-positioned for whatever changes may come. Next up, you may want to explore a guide to using journalism skills in marketing.
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Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here, and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.