Must-Have Skills To Pursue For 2023

Believe it or not, we’re just over two months away from 2023. With a new year comes the chance to work towards new objectives. If you’re interested in advancing your career in the near future, you’ll want to make sure your “new year, new me” includes embracing trending skills.

We’ve previously covered some of the best skills to learn for 2022, along with which skills to leave off of your resume. While many 2022 skills are still highly relevant and transferable, the ever-evolving business world requires new skills to stay up to date. Join us as we examine Forbes’ Jack Kelly’s list of competitive skills to master in 2023 and add some insights of our own!

Adaptability

Adaptability was one of our top recommended skills for 2022, and it’s no surprise to see it topped Jack’s list for 2023. While adaptability has always been a prime trait, the speedy advancements in technology and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have further increased the importance of this skill.

Jack mentions the uncertainty of the job market, corporations having massive layoffs without replacing their workforce, and the inconsistency of remote and office jobs as rising traits that look to continue in 2023. The constant uncertainty, and the idea that you may need to switch jobs due to outside circumstances, means that those who can adapt and go with the flow will have the most success.

“To adapt to changes, you may need to continually reinvent yourself and pivot to new career directions.” -Jack Kelly

If you’re looking to become more adaptable, Harvard Business Review’s Michael Mankins recommends showing a willingness to adapt in the first place, working on your flexibility, and learning how to plan for multiple outcomes. You can learn further strategies here.

Coding

You may not work in software development or be a coder, but almost every job requires working with ever-evolving technology. There are so many quality-of-life enhancements brought about by new technology, and to get the most out of them, you’ll want at least a basic understanding of the underlying technology.

Jack says that building a comfort level is immensely helpful, and having a basic understanding of coding, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, or cybersecurity will give you an excellent foundation.

If you wish to take things even further, many of the most predicted in-demand skills over the next ten years involve different forms of technology. Maryna Zavyiboroda lists cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and blockchain as some of the most profitable skills in the tech world.

Kool Stories mentions that learning coding, already a profitable skill, also enhances your problem-solving, mathematics, communication, and creativity skills.

Communication skills

Communication is another evergreen skill we should always be working toward, but it’s still one that many struggle with. Almost every job requires communication with other human beings, so this is one of the most-transferable skills.

This goes beyond your basic written and oral communication skills as well. As should be apparent, our use of technology will only keep growing, so knowing how to communicate digitally is key to successfully expressing yourself. Without body language in the mix, you need to make sure you quickly and efficiently convey your message to avoid confusion and get the desired outcome.

Jack mentions how vital these skills are to your own marketability. Even if you’re highly skilled or experienced, if you can’t communicate that, you’ll find it hard to get an audience.

Resilience

Rectec found that seven of the top ten skills employers desired were soft skills over hard, or intelligible and highly transferable skills. We’ve discussed many of them at length in prior posts, but at the core of each one lies the need for resilience and grit.

“Soft skills are nothing new, and they’ve been a major driving factor behind rebuilt interview strategies in the wake of COVID-19.” -Rectec

Jack says that times may be tough, and things may not go our way. Job seeking is much more complicated than it was 20 years ago. If you can teach yourself to be resilient, it will be much easier to not only roll with the punches but also to develop any other necessary skills to get ahead.

“Teach yourself how to be self-resilient, and build the confidence to pursue what you want. It’s okay to have fear and trepidation, but you must keep forging against all odds and obstacles.” -Jack Kelly

Wrap up

The job market is always uncertain and constantly shifting. But if you’re willing to get ahead of the curve, you can work towards highly-transferable skills that will serve you no matter which job title you pursue. Adaptability, communication, and resilience will always be valuable, and in today’s world, the most you understand technology, the better your baseline will be. Start mastering these skills now to be prepared for the future!

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Five Ways To Improve Your Remote Communication Skills

Remote work and the cornucopia of different technologies used to facilitate it mean that how we communicate with our coworkers has changed drastically. Balancing different platforms like video conferences, email, text chat, and social media platforms like LinkedIn can be a challenge, and your communication skills need to evolve with new and emerging technology.

Even if you aren’t seeing your coworkers on a daily basis, and even if your networking and sales conversations take place over a screen, you can still be personable and charismatic. Evolve your remote communication skills by embracing these five philosophies.

Know how the tech works

There are a lot of tools used to facilitate online communication, and they all serve different purposes. Knowing how and when to use these tools is the foundation for remote dialogue.

The specific platform you’ll use for different forms of communication will vary between companies. For video conferencing, you might use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Discord, or Meetings, and each program has different intricacies. Once you know what your team uses, do your best to master it. It’s hard to be an effective communicator if you aren’t using the tech properly.

Once you’ve mastered the tech, learn the best uses for each form. Different tools have different purposes, and you’ll want to use the right tool for the job, writes Jacky Xu. Have a simple question you need answered quickly? You’ll have to decide whether to use a text, an email, or a messaging program like Slack.

“For example, an instant messaging platform (like Slack) is best for short messages that need a fairly immediate response. Email is usually better for longer messages or something with multiple attachments, and for when you can wait on an answer.” –Greg Kratz

Be clear

In an in-person conversation, if you felt you weren’t clear with your intent, it’s easy to follow up with a quick explanation or pop back into someone’s office to clarify. You can look into your coworker’s eyes and see potential confusion. That isn’t so in remote communication, and you may not realize your request was ambiguous.

Quality writing is one of the top traits employers seek in remote employees, according to Goncalo Silva of Doist. The ability to eliminate redundancies and fluff and get to the heart of a matter is the key to making your writing clear. The easier it is for the recipient of your message to understand what you need, the more effectively they can assist.

Hannah Morgan reiterates to keep your messages brief, especially when communicating with someone new. People tend to skim long bodies of text (something we blog writers must constantly be aware of!), so the more you meander, the less likely you’ll get a response.

“Get straight to the point, and don’t dance around the reason for your contact. It’s best to be direct.” -Hannah Morgan

Be prompt

It’s difficult to ignore someone talking to you face-to-face, and if you’re in an office, it’s easy for a person to pop in and remind you when they need something. With remote communication, it’s much easier to forget to respond. How many times have you ever mentally responded to a text without actually texting back? Or have you meant to respond to an email and suddenly hours have passed?

It’s not only good etiquette to respond in a timely matter but it’s the expectation to keep the operation running smoothly, says Kelsey Arrington. By promptly following up with your team, you’ll build a greater culture of responsibility and reliability. Open communication is what allows remote communication to flourish.

Be available

On the subject of open communication, making yourself available is another important step. Remote work offers more autonomy than working in an office, which is a massive boon, but you can’t cut yourself off entirely. Jacky Xu suggests regularly scheduling check-ins with your team as a way to keep everyone on the same page. This provides an opportunity to share ideas without directly intruding on anyone’s time.

Kelsey Arrington adds to always participate in meetings and to turn your video on during conference calls. This will remind your coworkers you’re still there and actively engaged in work. Your ideas won’t fall on deaf ears and you’ll be viewed as part of the team. Being on video might mean your pajamas will face scrutiny, but you’ll provide the often lost body language communication thrives on.

Mind your body language

Even with video calls, body language is crucial and can shape the nature of your conversations. Watch your body posture, make eye contact with others (not your webcam), avoid looking at your phone, and don’t be afraid to dress up for a meeting as if it were in person. Treating a remote meeting like an in-person one will keep you engaged, and your professionalism will be appreciated.

“Posture not only shapes the way we feel, it also shapes the way we think about ourselves–from our self-descriptions to the certain and comfort with which we hold them. And those self-concepts can either facilitate or hinder our ability to connect with others, to perform our jobs, and, more simply, to be present.” –Carol Kinsey Goman

Wrap up

Remote work models are the norm, and even a significant percentage of networking occurs online. Knowing how to adapt your communication skills to the current landscape is a must for career success. Know how to use every tool at your disposal, and know when to use them. Be clear, prompt, and available, and you’ll gain a reputation as a reliable team member. Go the extra mile and be a professional in video chats, and you’ll feel a stronger sense of connection with your team.

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How To Not Be Annoying On LinkedIn

No matter what industry you’re in, networking is the supreme principle in advancing your career. In most cases, modern networking means a strong LinkedIn presence. LinkedIn has cornered the market as the prime social media option for the professional world, and proper LinkedIn etiquette is a skill every professional needs to learn.

Part of that etiquette is knowing what NOT to do on the platform. LinkedIn isn’t the same as other social media platforms, and if you annoy your network, you’ll find yourself alienating your potential allies.

Your personal brand is important, and you don’t want that brand to be “an annoyance.” Unless you’re looking to be a nuisance, avoid these annoying LinkedIn behaviors.

Don’t spam

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for getting in touch with people you otherwise may never speak to. You can research prospective employers, find informational interviews, reach out to those in new industries, or look into those previously employed at companies you’re interested in.

But you can’t simply fire connection requests and cold messages to every person on the website. You should take time to carefully craft any requests and take time to explain who you are and why you’d like to connect. Quality leads are better than quantity.

Josh Steimle uses mass tagging connections in posts as another type of spam to avoid. If you’re constantly looking for attention by overly tagging people, you’ll soon find yourself blocked.

LinkedIn itself, a pretty credible source on this particular topic, says to avoid coming across as “salesy.”The platform may be designed for professional development, but no one wants your service shoved in their face immediately. Treat your potential connections as actual people rather than pure customers.

Don’t be generic

Hand-in-hand with the above point, the more generic you are in your efforts, the less interested people will be in interacting with you. As Forbes’ William Arruda reminds us, spammers and bots are a plague on LinkedIn, and it can be detrimental to your efforts if you sound like one.

On paper, a high volume of messages sounds like a good way to get at least some positive responses. But like with applying for jobs, spray-and-pray techniques rarely work. Any pitch you’re planning on sending should be carefully thought out and provide value to your target. Make an effort to reference something they’ve done or how their experience inspired you. A generic pitch is wasting their time and yours.

“For some reason, people think it is effective to cold pitch people without any preparation or research. The funniest is when someone sends me a message on LinkedIn offering their totally irrelevant service and says something along the lines of “We see that at your company you do XYZ and thought you could use my product.”” -Hillel Fuld

Be honest

It should go without saying, but don’t lie to your potential connections about what you can do for them. While your pitch should have value to the connection, it needs to actually be something you can deliver.

Trickery on LinkedIn isn’t just lying about your skills, experience, or connections. William Arruda uses the example of deceiving your new connection by asking for time to get to know them or claiming you’re doing research for a project when in actuality you’re trying to make a sale or ask for a job opportunity. Once it gets out that you’re taking advantage of the generosity of others, you’ll find it harder to make connections.

“If your true intention is to make a sale, don’t imply it’s about the joy of just getting to know and learn about people. This subterfuge is beyond annoying.” –William Arruda

Don’t overshare

“Weird Al” Yankovic once wrote a song called “Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me” regarding chain emails and overshared images that plagued the early internet days. Unfortunately, the song is relevant once again as LinkedIn spammers fill your feed with unwanted content.

Alexander Krastev notes useless polls, irrelevant tear-jerking or viral videos, cringey memes, and overly shared stories as the types of eye-rolling content plaguing the platform. While it can seem cruel to vilify this type of content, a good deal of it is fake and overshared simply to generate clicks and engagement.

LinkedIn is supposed to be a place for professionals to connect and share relevant content. While it doesn’t hurt to have some fun, save the off-topic content for Twitter and Instagram.

Don’t use it as a dating site

Speaking of keeping it professional, while LinkedIn is a social media platform, it isn’t meant to be a dating pool. Save the cracking on for Tinder or Bumble, and let LinkedIn remain a safe place to grow professionally.

Wrap up

Good LinkedIn etiquette shares much in common with good social media etiquette, or just good manners in general. Treating your future connections like actual human beings and not just avenues for gain goes a long way. Be authentic and offer value to others, don’t bombard the platform with irrelevant content to get attention, and keep things professional and you’ll be viewed as someone people wish to connect with. Happy connecting!

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What To Do If You’re Overqualified For A Job

At some point in your job search, you’ve likely felt unqualified. Maybe there’s a required skill you’re lacking, or perhaps you simply don’t feel like you have enough experience. In those cases, you’ll have an idea of what you need to achieve to reach your dream job. But what do you do when you’re overqualified?

Surely employers would love the chance to hire someone that exceeds their wildest expectations, but the opposite is often true. Hiring managers may think you made a mistake or that you won’t be fully engaged and invested in a position seemingly beneath your experience level.

There are a myriad of good reasons to apply for a job you’re overqualified for, but there are many more reasons employers will be wary. If you wish to proceed regardless, we’ll analyze what these employer fears are and how you can quash them.

“For overqualified applicants, an impressive résumé might sometimes be the reason for employers to say, “Thank you, next!”” –Hire Veterans

Why apply for a job you’re overqualified for?

Being overqualified simply means you far exceed the education, experience, and skill level of what a job description is seeking. For example, if you’re applying for an entry-level sales role after leading a sales team for ten years, you’ll be viewed as overqualified.

While an employer might question your reasoning, there are plenty of good reasons to proceed. Maybe you want more meaningful work in your industry and need to seek a lower position to find it. Maybe despite your experience, you’re looking for new challenges or opportunities within the role. Or you may simply need a job in your industry. Layoffs and relocation happen, and sometimes you need the work.

Whatever your reason, you’ll need to be conscious of it, because employers will be asking.

The problems of overqualification

So why is being overqualified actually a problem? While companies want the best hire for the job, there are plenty of questions surrounding why someone with your qualifications would want to stay for the long term.

Madeleine Burry lists four principal problems with being overqualified: fear you’ll be bored, concern you’ll be temporary, the uncertainty you’ll follow directions, and nervousness that the pay won’t be enough.

The main fears are if this appears to be a step backward at this stage of your career, will the work and benefits be enough? The work may not be challenging enough for you, leading to boredom with your daily duties. For someone used to more responsibilities and a higher salary, potential employers will worry what they offer isn’t enough. Because of your experience, you may not follow their directions if you’ve done things a certain way or the person training you is less experienced. These factors lead to the idea that you’ll quickly move onto another position, costing the organization time and money.

Shonna Waters of BetterUp adds that employers can be guilty of age discrimination and use overqualification as an excuse to not hire you. They may fear you won’t be quick to adapt to new ideas or try new ways of learning.

“Whether they say it or not, they may also want someone younger for cultural reasons or training purposes and pass on you.” –Shonna Waters

Indeed also believes that these factors can lead to a negative work environment. If a person isn’t feeling engaged or challenged, it could create a toxic work environment.

What to do if you’re overqualified

If you’re set on a job you’re overqualified for, don’t let these common objections stop you. You’ll just need to do a bit of extra work and be ready to answer the questions when they come.

Shonna Waters says to make your resume “pop,” but not necessarily explode. Tailor to the position as always, but feel free to downplay your accomplishments or leave off irrelevant positions (obviously, be truthful). You still want to prove you have the skills needed to succeed in the position—you don’t want to take off too much and appear unqualified! But you can certainly downplay just how experienced you are.

Feel free to rip the Band-Aid off early and address the overqualification issue in your cover letter. Emily Morrison thinks this is the best way to get ahead of the question and express your genuine interest immediately. You can tell the recruiter you’re looking into a new industry or that you’re excited about the chance to learn new skills and have new experiences. This allows you to showcase your passion and express your desire for growth.

“You can make sure that they look past your qualifications by emphasizing two different things: that you’re looking for an opportunity to learn beyond what you already know, and that you’re looking to stay somewhere for a long time.” –Emily Morrison

Wrap up

Only you can decide if a job position is right for you. There are plenty of reasons one might seek a job they appear overqualified for. Hiring managers may be skeptical, and often for good reasons, but if your heart is truly set on a position, go for it! Take the extra time to tailor your documents and position yourself as a passionate person eager for new experiences and you’ll put the opposition to rest.

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Successfully Utilizing Keywords In Your Job Search

One challenge modern job seekers face is the need to balance their resumes and LinkedIn profiles for both human eyes and applicant tracking systems. You want a readable, engaging resume, but it may need to get through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) first. While up to 40% of companies may not use an ATS, using organization keywords is still the best way to get noticed by both digital and human eyes.

What exactly are keywords? Susan P. Joyce excellently defines them as:

“The terms used by searchers to find relevant content in a search engine, social network, applicant tracking system, or other database.”

We always speak about the importance of tailoring your resume, and this is where keywords shine. Discover why keywords are vital in the modern job search and how to make them work for you, and you’ll find the key to job search success!

The importance of keywords

Recruiters spend a short amount of time on each resume, and the ATS may keep your resume from getting to them in the first place. You need to stand out in a limited amount of time and prove you’re the candidate for the job.

Consider your search. You’re using keywords to find the jobs you are interested in, inputting job titles and locations into search engines to find positions relevant to you. If you’re looking to be a warehouse supervisor, just typing in “supervisor” is going to find a lot of unrelated jobs.

Coming up with a plan for your job search is the first step to finding the right keywords to use. Ivy Exec recommends figuring out your goals and conducting thorough research before you start applying. Target your ideal roles and industries, talk with your network, and research specific organizations. This targeted approach will provide clarity on what your dream jobs are looking for and how you can appeal to them.

Utilizing keywords

With this knowledge, you can begin incorporating keywords into your resumes and into your LinkedIn profile, too.

While we’ll recommend, as always, tailoring your resume for each position, there are a few keywords that are always relevant—your basic information!

It may seem obvious, but make sure you’re using the same professional name across all of your job seeker material. Susan P. Joyce says if your business cards use a different name than the one you use on LinkedIn, it will lead to confusion.

You don’t want to use a full address, but make sure your current city or targeted city is clear, as many recruiters search based on location. If you speak any additional languages or have college degrees or certifications, they should be clear as well. Finally, use a job title for the position you seek, and be as specific as possible. Use the version used by the company, if possible, and when in doubt, Susan adds to use a slash between two similar titles (Executive Assistant/Administrative Assistant for example).

With the basics covered, you can get into the finer points. Start by combing through the job description and highlighting all action words. These are the key responsibilities of the position, and your resume needs to show you’re capable of them. If you see a reoccurring word, definitely make a note to incorporate it, writes Mariana Toledo.

The exact word choices matter and you want to be specific. That’s why the easiest way to find relevant keywords is to take them right from the description.

Next, look at the industry on the whole. The terminology may change from position to position, but there should be a few constants. Alison Doyle suggests looking at the difference between job-specific skills and transferable skills and making sure to highlight both. If you’re applying for a programming job, you may need specific software skills, but you’ll also want good communication skills.

“For example, being able to operate a power saw is a job-specific skill for a carpenter, but not for many other jobs.” –Alison Doyle

You can use these keywords and incorporate them through your work history. Not only will this show you have the experience where it matters, but a potential ATS will note the word choice and help you stand out.

If there are any relevant proficiencies, certifications, or courses you’ve completed, make sure to add them as well. These are things like Photoshop, Salesforce, WordPress, programming languages, and even Microsoft Office suite. These can be sprinkled within your work history or on a separate “skills and qualifications” section.

Finally, after incorporating keywords, make sure your resume is readable and truthful. Joseph Rios writes that while it may be tempting to manipulate keywords to your advantage, never lie on your resume. It can bite you in the rear down the road. Susan P. Joyce adds that stuffing your resume with keywords with no strategy will make your resume bloated and unreadable. Make sure to incorporate your keywords in a logical and descriptive manner.

Wrap up

Using keywords may seem daunting at first, but if you do your proper research it will become a natural part of job searching. It’s imperative to stand out in your job search, and using the right keywords will make sure your resume gets seen. Use job descriptions and industry knowledge to your advantage, and incorporate the keywords in an honest and logical manner.

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