In a changing world of work, professionals will need to upskill or reskill themselves to adapt to an evolving work landscape. Discover future-focused job skills, and explore tools to identify current skills gaps

^{Sponsored by GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand}

Work is changing. Where we work from, what time we start, when we finish – all of it seems up for discussion. This brings with it a whole host of new job opportunities. While our local (South African) economy and job market are struggling, much of the First World is going through an economic boom and seeing a growth in the number of jobs available. The ability to work remotely has resulted in many international companies beginning to recruit skilled professionals from all over the world.

At Getsmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand, we have a team dedicated to understanding the changing workplace. We are continuously analysing and researching what skills are needed today – as well as in the future – because now more than ever, it’s important to have the right skills that the market is looking for.

Below are some of the more important skills to focus on:

For marketing professionals

It’s no secret that marketing has gone digital. The latest development here is that online advertising is becoming increasingly expensive, so technical skills like SEO are more important than ever. The other route to meeting this challenge is by building a brand and smartly engaging with your audience on social media platforms. If you’re really looking to set yourself apart as a marketing professional, product management will help to future-proof your career. If you aren’t yet confident in this space, start with the UCT Digital Marketing Course.

For technology and data professionals

These teams have never known anything but change while working hard to learn the latest coding language to build efficient websites and systems. But we have picked up that the skills needed by these tech professionals are no longer exclusive to what you can do on a laptop. They also need to be able to:

• Effectively implement digital transformation initiatives, drive the adoption of new technologies, offer a strategic view of change management, and develop the ability to lead teams
• Influence and communicate effectively with business decision-makers
• Understand how data science can be used strategically and competitively to transform an organization

For finance and accounting professionals

As businesses plan for long-term sustainability, finance professionals can no longer just focus on ‘closing the books’ every month. We have found three skills, or areas, that we believe will help develop finance professionals. The skills to:

• Build business analytics capabilities and improve storytelling skills to deliver insights to leadership with impact
• Develop forecasting abilities through financial modelling and analysis, and present financial scenarios for future success
• Contribute to the organization’s digital transformation by exploring opportunities presented by fintech and blockchain

For human resources professionals

In today’s workplace, human resource (HR) and talent management are integral in developing resilient workplaces that are fast paced, yet kinder and more diverse. 

HR professionals need the following skills that will help them to stay in-demand. The capabilities to: 

• Lead diversity and inclusion in the workplace
• Establish training and development to help prepare employees for the future
• Upskill themselves in change management and learn to coach leaders on how to guide and support their teams through disruption

Keep up with the changing world of work by identifying your skills gaps and upskilling and reskilling to fill them. Explore the skills hierarchy in the GetSmarter Career Guide 2021 to take control of your career today.

                                                                    CAREER GUIDE 2021