Have what it takes to succeed as a 21st century professional?
Unlike what you previously thought, your academic profile and experience aren’t all you need to secure that job you’ve always dreamed of. In this age, most companies routinely seek for much more than these professional prerequisites. In fact most of them usually try to ascertain if potential candidates possess any rare and valuable skills to bring to the table.
Should you fail on this score in your professional resume, you can as well kiss goodbye to that lucrative vacancy you are probably coveting. In this digital era, all job seekers have to acquire and exceed the basic skills to remain relevant in their careers and be attractive in the job marketplaces. This naturally makes them all-round candidates who will make better employees in their professional aspirations. Well, with that fully understood, let’s now review the top 21st century skills that you ought to master in order to have an added advantage in your career.
1. Critical thinking
Critical thinking is and will always be an invaluable skill for those who don’t wish to vegetate in professional mediocrity. Most companies wishing to fill a vacancy in their organization are drawn to candidates who are able to think out the box. Essentially, these are workers who will not require regular supervision to meet all their professional obligations. These are the kind of employees who can achieve much more than is already expected of them professionally. These are workers who can utilize their wit and intuition at the right place and the right time. So, making it your business to learn how to think critically is a must-have for a vibrant 21st century professional.
2. Analytical problem-solving skills
Being able to resolve problems in a totally analytical manner is also a major plus for a professional whose eyes are set on the bigger prize. When think and solve problems analytically, you will find no obstacle derailing your progress professionally. When mediocre workers falter at a seemingly insurmountable professional challenge, you’ll be able to find a way to circumvent it. Also, you’ll be able to get the job done well even with the most basic resources allotted to you.
3. Top rate communication skills
When you are a good communicator professionally, you will get along with your fellow colleagues and even superiors. You will also find people coming to you to solve issues that baffle them. This obviously earmarks you as a potential leader, regardless of your exact station in life. Finally, when are an excellent communicator all your interactions with clients will tend to be very productive.
4. Effective collaboration skills
This particular professional skill can be highly valuable for those who work in a team-oriented environment. The overall success of professional teams is the result of individual input from each member and their collective team effort. Therefore, you have to master very the skill of effectively collaboration with others to realize your objectives. Take all the time you need to be conversant with the relevant collaboration technologies available and learn to use them efficiently.
5. Touch typing
Touch typing is a very essential skill to master for a 21st century professional. This skill can conveniently impart you with a surefire method of utilizing your motor reflexes rather than your sight while typing. Basically, touch typing lets you concentrate all your attention on your PC monitor as opposed to its keyboard, unlike what mediocre professionals do. Once you become a skilled touch typist, you will begin to notice significant improvements in your overall professional productivity. You will discover that you now able to draft accurate and very detailed professional documents, much more quicker than you formerly did.
This in turn, will permit you to take up much more work than before, which will make you highly marketable to your current and prospective employers. At this juncture it is vital to note that touch typing isn’t all about typing efficiency. When you are skilled touch typist, you will also use the right posture to integrate and the ideal finger placements to use on your keyboard. This in the long run will assist you to great reduce the potent risks of sustaining typing associated injuries. Mind you even when are engage in typing duties for extended periods of time. Today there are plenty of different available resources for education just start with online typing test and then try to find your own way to improve your typing skills as well as typing accuracy in a stress-free manner.
My name is Adam Fort, I’m an education strategist at Ratatype. This project helps children and adults to learn touch typing via an online typing test and lessons. I am in charge of developing the proper typing lessons and exercise for typists who want to improve their typing speed. I also have a commercial pilot’s licence which I’m proud of.