5 Top Career Advancement Skills for Working Professionals

Every job is a learning curve. Professionals must keep up with the dynamic standards of the current work scenario. Training workers is key to meeting the latest skills at work. The Indian market for soft skill training may hit 1184.6 million USD by 2028 with a CAGR of 11.9% between 2023-2028.

You can imbibe two kinds of skills - soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are universally useful. Hard skills are more industry-specific. While workers may learn hard skills, experience makes soft skills more acquirable. Soft-skill development is of primary importance as it is often lacking in professionals.

A pertinent question among professionals is, “What are the skills to learn?”. Fret not, as this article gives you an insight into the skills that benefit your professional life.

How to advance your career with new skills?

Skill comes with knowledge and experience. Knowledge and skill are often interchangeable, but they are different. An impressive skillset can be immensely helpful in your worklife. Take a look at the advantages of learning new skills.

Gives you a competitive edge

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues with acquired skills. You can stand out in a crowd of professionals to become a holistically developed worker in the industry. You can provide better results. This gives you an edge over other workers, makes you more productive and gives you plenty of positive affirmation.

Keeps you updated about the latest tools in the industry

Learning new skills keeps you updated about the newest developments in the industry. You can experience the global impact of your skills when you match the work standards of the experts in the field.

Boosts confidence

Getting positive results and appreciation at work and beyond can be a fulfilling experience. Learning new skills will help you achieve better results. That intrinsically makes you more confident about implementing your skillset at work.

Opens up new opportunities

Learning new skills enriches your existing skillset. You may become more suited for other tasks once you learn new skills. You may handle more complex tasks, lead a team, or get promoted. These tasks may have been previously unavailable for you because of inadequate skills. So, look out for more opportunities once you acquire new skills.

Adds to your resume

Your professional identity is mainly dependent on your skill set. It takes more than having the relevant degree to get the job of your dreams. You must think beyond pedagogical aspects and focus on skill development. Skills are useful for practical purposes applicable in everyday work environments. Your resume should reflect that your skills can resolve tricky work situations.

Increases adaptability

Career development skills can increase flexibility in the workplace. You can adapt to new tasks quicker than others because of abilities like critical thinking, problem-solving and basic skills. This makes you adaptable to different kinds of work and challenges.

Five interesting skills to learn for working professionals

A commendable skillset in the workplace is essential for any professional. Look at five career development skills that can improve your professional life.

Communication and interpersonal skills

Communication is key for any working professional. You can develop a highly versatile skill with courses or personal interaction. It involves how you converse, share ideas, listen and present yourself. It may be verbal or non-verbal.

Types of verbal communication include:

• Conversation
• Public speaking
• Listening skills

Non-verbal communication includes:

• Visual representation
• Written communication like emails, notices, text messages
• Interactional etiquettes

Interpersonal skills broadly fall under communication. It focuses on building professional relations, empathy, and teamwork and has much more to do with the relationship between yourself and those around you.

Problem-solving and decision-making

The skill of effectively solving problems is relevant in any organisation. Employers actively look out for candidates who can efficiently handle problems. The justification lies in the practicality of the skills. Every organisation faces problems on various levels. It takes a true professional to identify the problem and resolve them. Problem-solving requires research, observation and decision-making with a touch of creativity. With these tools, problem-solving can be a breeze for you.

Decision-making is an important aspect of problem-solving. This skill involves providing accurate solutions and executing them in the best way. Problem identification is followed by proposing a solution. However, the solution is not ultimate, but its execution is.

Critical thinking and creativity

Critical thinking is the ability to gauge a situation, observe and create logical connections between ideas. It is highly dependent on thinking and reasoning. Employees with critical thinking abilities are more efficient in various aspects. Thinking critically reflects your logical standpoint, reasoning abilities and judgment without external and internal factors like environment and emotions swaying you. Employees with critical thinking abilities are more efficient in various aspects.

Creativity is to offer solutions, propose new ideas and implement new ways to solve a problem. Strict logic can sometimes be overwhelming and unproductive. You can stimulate your mind to think out of the box and devise unconventional ideas to serve the purpose. You can make new connections, provide out-of-the-box solutions and be imaginative. Look at a few ways you can try to be more creative.

• Observation
• Conceptualisation
• Brainstorming
• Imagination

IT skills

IT is an inevitable part of any industry in modern times. The world depends on technological advancements, and increasingly so. Having basic IT skills is a must for any professional. Every industry needs basic technological tools, including a word processor, a spreadsheet programme, a data management system and a few more applications. You must be familiar with basic IT features like:

- Automation

Automating repetitive tasks with the help of technology

- AI and machine learning

Computers learn how to perform tasks like humans

- Cloud operations

Accessing and using data stored in cloud servers

- Data security

Protecting data and privacy

These tools are rapidly gaining importance for even basic tasks. You might not deal with these tools directly, but they are significant in any organisation. It is advisable to stay in touch with these tools and enhance your IT skills.

Industry-specific skills

Industry-specific skills are also known as hard skills. These skills are relevant to the specific industry you are working in. While you may encounter some of these skills during training, you may also get a headstart if you are familiar. This particular skill set requires technical knowledge, depending on your job role. It is best to acquire industry-specific skills from reputed courses. You can even opt for short-term online courses if you find a traditional curriculum overwhelming.

Conclusion

Learning a new skill might be confusing for some. The vast number of skills you can imbibe may lead to a frantic attempt to master them all at once. Choosing a course that offers a well-rounded opportunity to incorporate those skills can be beneficial. Some courses include skill development as a part of the curriculum.

Advance your career with Amity University Online’s UGC-approved programmes. Get in touch with the leaders of the industry and experience quality learning. Level up your career with the most valuable skills to learn. You can get an authentic, value-for-money experience with empowering skills valid for a lifetime.