Career skills you must have!

The pandemic brought along so many changes, some of which we have come to accept as the 'new normal.'

Be it at work or at home, one of the biggest challenges is adapting to the digital way of life.

While technology was always making its presence felt, the rate at which it took over the life of the common man during the pandemic is unthinkable.

Pervading lives in all aspects, be it doctor consultation, teaching, learning, cooking, or even simple tips on living (happily), the entire globe has gone digital.

Today, each one of us has to relook at what is required to sustain and succeed in the workplace.

While technical skills are a must, both general and domain-specific, there are 'softer skills' that have come to gain importance.

But there are additional challenges.

How long can an individual speak to a screen, make decisions, build trust with people one has never seen, or even motivate an employee juggling aimlessly to maintain a work-life balance?

While employability skills remain the same, one needs to adapt them to suit the digital workplace.

Here are some skills that will help you make a mark in the digital workspace:

♦ Digital literacy

It is important to understand and use technology across different platforms so you can comprehend the limitations and the dangers of technology. This is required because we live and work in a society where most of the communication is through digital platforms. Digital platforms can be classified as social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter), knowledge platforms like Quora, media sharing platforms (Youtube, Spotify) and service-oriented platforms (Uber, OLA, AirBnB).

♦ Decision making

While this has always been on the list of required skills, the difference today is to make quicker decisions through assimilation and analysis of relevant data using available analytical tools such as SEO tools, Google Analytics, Google forms, Tableau and the like.

♦ Adaptability

To be able to make decisions in turbulent times, an individual must have tolerance for ambiguity and will have to learn to adapt to changing scenarios.

To be better at adaptability an individual must be wise enough to understand what is in their control and what is not. This will enable us to accept reality quicker and move forward. For example, rather than stressing about trying to control situations beyond one's capacity, such as the lockdown, one must refocus on what can be done to move forward inspite of the lockdown.