Acquiring skills is very essential to our growth and development as humans. These skills can be applied in your workplace to improve your overall performance or even in your relationships with friends and family.
In this article, we’ll explain the different types of skills necessary skills for different industries, the essential life skills that everyone should have and how to go about acquiring these skills.
What Is A Skill?
A Skill is a person’s ability to use their knowledge effectively in performing certain tasks within a given amount of time. Although some people are naturally skilled in different fields, it can also be taught.
Take public speaking, for instance, we have naturally talented orators who command the attention of their audience when speaking, and yet we have shy people who have studied the art of public speaking and went ahead to become good if not better orators as well.
Skills are classified into two groups
- Hard or technical skills
- Soft or interpersonal skills
Hard Skills
Hard skills are also known as technical skills and that’s because they are directly related to the technical aspect of the job. These skills are acquired through training and education and enhanced through repetition and practice.
Hard skills are important when it comes to job search and maximum productivity at work. Some examples of hard skills include:
- Analytic reasoning
- Typing
- Writing
- SEO
- Data visualization
- Analytical skill
- Statistics
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Marketing
Soft Skills
Soft skills are also called interpersonal skills because they relate to how you work with other people in a given situation. soft skills are also transferable which means that they are not job-specific, unlike hard skills. Some examples include:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Problem-solving
- Adaptability
- Leadership
- Work ethic
- Time management
- Emotional intelligence
- Decision making
- Empathy
Why Are Skills Important?
Skill acquisition is very necessary because it helps you to progress both at work and in other aspects of life. To acquire a skill you’ll need to learn and be trained, this opens up the pathway to self-development and increases your perceived value. Some other benefits of acquiring skills include:
- Builds your confidence and gives a sense of achievement
- Helps you in creating a stronger CV
- It makes you develop a flexible and growth mindset
- It increases your learning speed
- It encourages diversification of responsibilities
- It creates opportunities for promotions
Necessary Skills For Different Careers
A combination of hard and soft skills on your resume is always a game changer. It shows your proficiency in the field and makes you an irresistible candidate that companies would love to employ.
Customer Service Careers
Customer service, public relations and other related careers may require the following skills:
- Communication
- Positive attitude
- Patience
- Active listening
- Time management
- Efficiency
- Empathy
- Troubleshooting
Administrative Careers
Managerial, business and administration-related careers will require skills like:
- Collaboration
- Document management
- Written and oral communication
- Anticipation of needs
- Interpersonal skills
- Customer service
- Time management
- Resourcefulness
- Problem-solving
Information Technology Careers
IT and tech-related careers will require skills like:
- Coding languages
- Analytics
- Critical thinking
- Multi-tasking
- Written and oral communication
- Collaboration
- Project management
- Wireless modems and routers
Education Careers
In the field of continuous learning, those working here may need to develop the following set of skills:
- Public speaking
- Written and oral communication
- Classroom management
- Organisation
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Collaboration
- Active listening
Medical Careers
People working in the healthcare sector Such as doctors and nurses need to have the following skills:
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Adaptability
- Active listening
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Research
- Diagnosis
- Multi-tasking
Marketing Careers
Some must-have skills in the marketing industry include:
- Digital marketing
- Creativity
- Adaptability
- Attention to detail
- Critical thinking
- Social media
- Project management
- SEO practices
Sales Career
Sales managers and personnel should have the following skills:
- Branding
- Negotiation
- Emotional intelligence
- Networking
- Active listening
- Persuasion
- Collaboration
- Public speaking
- Client acquisition and retention
Essential Skills One Must Acquire
Irrespective of your profession or what you do for a living, there are some general skills that you should have and they are essential if you want to become successful in life.
Self-management And Self-awareness
Self-awareness means to be aware of your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and values and how all these effects or are affected by your immediate environment and how you react to negative or positive circumstances. It’s not just enough to be aware, but to create a personalized plan on how to manage your thoughts and emotions and to focus your attention where it is needed when it is needed.
Networking And Collaboration
Learn to connect with new people that share similar interests with you. The purpose of networking is to build relationships with people with who you can learn and benefit. Collaboration on other hand is necessary for workplace relationships. You might not need to like your co-workers but it’s important to learn how to put differences aside to achieve a common goal.
Communication Skills: Public Speaking And Writing
Learning how to communicate effectively through the written and spoken word is one skill every human should harness. Public speaking is the ability to speak audibly, and persuasively before an audience. If you can master this skill you can sell anything- ideas, services or products. Learning how to write is also a vital skill, you don’t need to become an author, just be able to put down your thoughts on paper in an organised and coherent manner.
Creative And Critical Thinking
The ability to come up with new and innovative ideas and being able to evaluate, sort, analyse, and interpret valuable information is a necessary skill, especially in today’s world. To avoid being left behind you have to intentionally be a creative and fast thinker.
Problem-solving And Decision Making
Every day we are constantly faced with new problems to solve. It could be as little as fixing a bug on your phone or providing solutions for your company’s decline in sales. You have to be mentally prepared to solve these problems and take immediate action when and where necessary.
Research
Nobody is an island of knowledge, this is why you need to acquire basic research skills. If you’re faced with a difficult situation, ask questions, read about it, make Google your friend and be open to new suggestions.
Math And Basic Accounting
You don’t need to know how to solve further maths questions but you should get acquainted with numbers to help you analyse data more quickly. Basic knowledge of accounting also comes in handy so you can track, and record your income and expenses. This will enable you to make better financial decisions.
Technology Skills
Technology is here to stay, so you might as well learn a thing or two about it. Get yourself acquainted with the latest app software and trends. Learn how these things function and how to use them for work or pleasure.
Time And Stress Management
Time management will save you from stress and stress management will save you time. It’s easy to get carried away with the hustle and bustle of daily work life. You need to take a break so your body does not break down. Create time for yourself. Time management is also important in your work environment, you become more organized and efficient when you manage your time well. Stress management is equally essential to your well-being and workflow. When you’re stressed, do you lose your temper? How do you cope with workplace stress? These are things you should learn to control so it doesn’t hurt people around you.
How Can You Acquire These Skills
Skills can be learnt and if you’re interested in learning any one of the above skills. Here are 8 steps you can take to get started.
Learn Which Skills Are Valuable
All skills are valuable but you don’t need every skill in the book. Learn only those that are relevant to your career and life goals.
Set Personal Goals
Once you have chosen a skill to learn. You’ll need to align it with your personal goals then go ahead to set a target. How long are you supposed to learn this skill? What will it cost you? What kind of training do you need?. You should write down the answers to these questions for reference purposes. You’ll be glad you did when you look back at it after you have successfully learnt that skill.
Choose The Right Training For You
Let’s say you want to learn the art of negotiation. You can go for sales seminars, and workshops or buy books on human psychology. Whatever you do, make sure you’re learning the right thing.
Create Time To Work On Your Skill
A skill is learned and enhanced through repetition and practice. So if you want to be good at it, you need to practice. It’s not just enough to listen to teachings on public speaking, take that bold step and try addressing a small audience. You can start from your circle of friends and gradually work your way up.
Get A Mentor
Seriously, if you want to go far you have to learn to ride on the wings of others. Experience is the best teacher so learn from other people’s experiences. Get yourself a mentor, preferably someone you have easy access to. Study their growth process, and implement and replicate their results. You’ll also learn faster when you have someone to be accountable to.
Take On More Responsibilities
Aside from making out time to practice your skills, try to put yourself out there. There’s no better way of getting good at a skill than having to deal with real situations. If you’re learning how to negotiate sales, attend to more customers. Public speaking, why not make the presentation on behalf of your team to your supervisor. It’s a great way to boost your confidence.
Consider Skill Sharing
You can also collaborate with someone else. Teach them a skill in exchange for their skill. They can teach you client acquisition while you teach them coding languages. It’s a win-win!
Ask For Regular Feedback
While you’re learning that skill, don’t forget to let those around you know what you’re up to. They’ll be your go-to source for feedback on how well you’re doing.
Conclusion
Skills are an important aspect of work and interpersonal relationships. So investing time and money to learn a new skill will always be a plus. We hope you found this article helpful. Don’t forget to like, share and comment.
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