The future of work is here. Most HR pros know which skills people must have to survive and thrive in this hypercompetitive working world. We all need good emotional intelligence, to adapt to new technologies, to work well in different cultural settings, and to be able to effectively solve complex problems – either alone or in a group.
But what about the talents you shouldn’t waste time emphasizing? If you don’t want to wake up one day and realize you’ve become redundant, check out these skills that are no longer worth mentioning. Then, remove them from your CV.
1. Microsoft Office: Do you know your way around this software package? So do 1.2 billion other people. Unless you have a specialized ability like C# programming or UI/UX design, you shouldn’t advertise your knowledge of such a widely expected skill like Microsoft Office.
2. Research: At work, your online research basically involves typing a word or phrase into Google. And you’re not alone. In 2017, people used this search engine to conduct close to 1.2 trillion searches. Like knowing how to use Microsoft Office, being able to research today is a standard workplace requirement.
3. Administration: There’s nothing wrong with knowing how to administer. The problem is that employers have very different ideas of what exactly a good administer does. Your ability to administer and lead should jump out at an employer, based on more relevant skills you bring to the table.
4. Industry experience: The skills required for white-collar jobs have increasingly become interchangeable. So highlighting the fact that you worked for seven years in one industry won’t necessarily impress a recruiter or employer. To be successful in any industry, you have to know how talk to people, solve problems, and be willing to learn a new technology.
5. Social media: There’s a big difference between how you use your personal Facebook account, and what an employer expects you to do on social media. As Brian Solis, a digital analyst, speaker, and author put it: “Social media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.” So, unless you’re in the communications field, leave social media off of your skills list.
6. Leadership: There’s a good reason why recruiters rank this near the bottom of the list of important skills. In the workplace, effective leaders are usually people who’ve developed leadership skills by becoming really good at what they do. Instead of just listing ‘leadership’, your CV should spotlight those traits that produce leaders: critical thinking, teamwork, and professionalism.
Summing up: There’s no reason to be nervous about the future. Just keep in mind that the skills you need to make it in this fast-moving job market are mostly the ones you develop through interpersonal experience. With manufacturing jobs either moving overseas or becoming fully mechanized, we’re seeing an explosion of service jobs that require good people skills.
So if you’re genuinely compassionate, empathic and intelligent – both socially and emotionally – you’ll be sought after by recruiters and forward-thinking companies. It’s a talent-driven market, and organizations are constantly on the lookout for the best people out there.
