In today’s marketplace, digital skills reign supreme. The majority of in-demand skills at the moment are tied to computers or the digital realm more broadly. With this in mind, the following will explore a few key computer-related skills that can help set you apart in the job search. Of course, every job is different. Before you start studying something new, take the time to pursue existing job boards and see which positions appeal to you and what they’re specifically looking for.
Email Etiquette
Email has been around for a few years now. Despite this, far too few people are aware of the things they need to be doing to send polite emails that leave people feeling good and happy to work with them. It’s important to note that tone doesn’t always come across in written word. Always read through your emails before sending them, checking for spelling, grammar, and tonal issues.
Do your best to respect people’s time and avoid filler words. The longer an email, the less likely someone is to read it carefully. Be clear and concise, and always ensure that you reiterate the emails you’ve read while responding. Typing something like this: To clarify, you need the folders from me by Tuesday and the images by Thursday. I can meet these targets as long as I get the schedule by Monday.
Avoid all capital letters, as this can seem rude. Exclamation points are okay as long as they’re not overused (more than one per paragraph can come across as ingenuine). Avoid bolding and underlining or changing the color of the text, as this often implies that you’re talking down to someone or thinking they’re unintelligent and will miss something. Finally, be sure that your subject lines clearly communicate the topic of the email.
Working With Cloud Storage
As more and more people work from home or out of the office, it’s becoming more necessary to share files over the internet. Knowing how to transfer large files with companies like WeTransfer and how to store files in a cloud-based storage space like iCloud or Google Drive can help your days run more smoothly, no matter what you’re working on. Be sure to follow appropriate safety precautions if those are needed in your field.
Collaborative Tools
Nowadays, projects are often completed by a team of people in different locations at different times. For this reason, collaborative tools are highly valuable. Things like Google Docs, Google Sheets, Asana, Slack, and Trello are all fantastic tools that help people work together on projects. Consider signing up for newsletters that teach these tools in bite-sized pieces; https://www.oksheets.com/ has an example of a newsletter for Google Sheets that can help you learn to use the program. Of course, one of the best ways to learn is to play around. Most of these tools have a free version that you can fiddle with until you feel comfortable.
Social Media Awareness
Social media can be a wonderful tool. It can also suck up a whole bunch of time and get absolutely no results. Consider taking a free course on social media marketing if you’re going to be coming in contact with social media at all as part of your job. It’s vital that you understand how much free information there is online for social media skills. There’s no need to pay for social media guidance. Of course, social media evolves rapidly, and this means you want to pay attention to when a particular piece of material is released. If it’s more than one or two years old, it’s probably outdated. You also want to be wary of taking advice from someone who built their following more than two years ago as algorithms change and, generally, they get harder to rise to the top as a platform develops. This means it was way easier to build a Twitter following five years ago than it is today.
Content Creation
No matter what ways a business is online, you can bet that they’re going to need content to help encourage organic growth to their online presence. This might include writing blogs, taking photos, writing captions, and creating stories, Reels or TikTok videos. Audio and video content is in particularly high demand. If you’re creatively inclined, this is a vast area that can take many different forms.
The above information should have drawn your attention to a few key skill sets that are in demand at the moment. It’s important to note that digital skills are always evolving, and this means that learning one of them typically requires revisiting the skill and brushing up on the latest developments on a regular basis.