Do You Have the 21st Century Skills Today’s Employers Are Seeking?
As technology progresses at a dizzying speed, so does the world of the work. Every year it seems there’s some new technology, skill or device professionals are scrambling to master. This steady influx of new tech and skills to master can make it feel like you’ll never catch up.
Though you can’t anticipate the technology that’s not yet on the market, you can prepare for career success by focusing on the fundamental skills needed to navigate these fast changing times—what some have dubbed “21stcentury skills.” These are the transferrable “soft” skills that can be applied in a variety of settings an can help you as you master more technical skills.
Though the software or tools you use to perform your job will likely change in the next five, ten or twenty years, the soft skills you develop will last a lifetime. Let’s dive in to what 21st世纪的技能是为什么它们很重要的原因以及如何在自己中发展其中的许多。
什么是21stcentury skills?
In short, these are the broad skills and abilities needed to be successful in modern society. Over the years, groups of educators, academics and governmental agencies have worked to identify and promote these foundational skills in order to prepare the workforce for what’s to come. While you may see small variations in how 21st从组到小组描述和定义世纪技能，它们从根本上分为三类：
- Learning skills:用于处理和传达信息的技能。这包括创造力，批判性思维能力，协作和沟通。
- Literacy skills:These are the skills employed to develop savvy and informed researchers and thinkers. This includes information literacy, media literacy, technology literacy—all of which focus on your ability to evaluate and process new information, particularly information found online.
- 生活技能：The skills needed create a well-round individual that can thrive both in their personal and work lives. This includes adaptability, leadership, initiative, efficiency and social skills.
9 Essential 21st任何职业的世纪技能
Clearly 21stcentury skills can cover a lot of ground—and while all are worth developing, you may be looking for a way to narrow your focus. We asked career professionals to identify what they believe are the most important soft skills for employees today.
1. Creativity
创造力是21个行业和职位的关键stcentury. Any company or industry in need of innovation should be searching for employees with loads of creativity. The ability to think outside of the box allows companies to adapt to changing markets and find innovative ways to resolve potential problems.
If you often feel stuck when brainstorming or problem-solving, don’t worry—creativity can be cultivated. Staying up-to-date with news and trends within your industry and others can get your creative juice flowing. “I do a lot of reading and encourage my team members to do the same. It keeps us energized, integrated and creative,” says Michael Stahl, executive vice president and CMO atHealthMarkets.
2. Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the key to students and employees coming to logical and well-reasoned conclusions. Well-developedcritical thinking skillshelp us objectively analyze a situation, weigh options and identify potential outcomes to any decision.
It’s not hard to see how this ability can be valuable in life—and employers certainly appreciate an employee who is forward-thinking enough to predict and plan for future problems before they’ve even happened.
“如果您能以这种方式思考，那么您将成为任何雇主的宝贵资产，”充满活力的人.
Like any skill, critical thinking can be refined through practice. Try walking through your day with problem-solving glasses on. For example, if you’re stuck in a long line at the grocery store run though the situation—what’s the primary cause of the delay? What can be done to help? Could this solution have an effect on other areas in the store? Just getting into an evaluation and problem-solving mindset can go a long way in refining your critical thinking abilities.
3. Collaboration
协作是另一个关键21stcentury learning skill that will play a big role in your career no matter your job title. Collaboration means being willing to listen, learn and work with others to accomplish a goal together. The modern workforce is full of employees with highly specialized skills and knowledge. This doesn’t mean you’ll need to be able to do every job, but you better be able to collaborate with these people effectively.
It’s especially important to demonstrate your ability to work well with others at the start of your career when you don’t necessarily have enough experience to deliver high-end results on your own. “If you’re able to work effectively with your peers, you’ll be able to get much-needed help, expand your expertise and as a result, deliver better work,” says Pete Sosnowski, head of HR and co-founder atZety.
If you have a tough time asking for help from others or working with a team, try getting involved in projects or volunteer work that forces you to rely on someone who knows more than you.
4. Communication
Communication is probably a skill you are sick of hearing about—but there’s no denying the value of being an effective communicator. It’s universally useful and your ability to communicate trickles into all aspects of life.
“With so much automation that enables smooth work processes, communication is the one skill that remains critical for a healthy company culture,” says Darko Jacimovic, co-founder ofWhattobecome.
All of the technical knowledge and skill in the world isn’t worth much if you can’t effectively get your point across in a respectful and coherent way.
5.信息素养
无论您是在学校的论文还是在工作中的报告或演讲中进行研究，信息素养都是关键。信息素养是媒体素养的基本技能。具有此技能的学生或员工能够通过解释他们可能在线发现的事实和原始数据来将事实与小说区分开。
“最近的毕业生应该能够找到可靠的信息，判断什么可以用来表明绩效和对这些判断行动，”联合创始人兼运营总监Alexander M. Kehoe说。Caveni Digital Solutions.
根据Kehoe的说法，在学术写作过程中，学生可以轻松地完善信息素养技巧。“许多研究项目都需要良好的信息素养技能，以正确解释结果并在书面环境中得出结论。”
6. Adaptability
Though this isn’t necessarily a quality you’ll see listed in a job description, the ability to demonstrate flexibility can make or break or a job interview.
就业市场正在迅速变化。适应能力的员工在几种方面都可以灵活。他们应该能够独立或与团队一起远程或在办公室工作。他们也很开放，对新想法感兴趣，并愿意承担新任务。
How can you practice being flexible? Though lunch-break yoga won’t necessarily do the trick, getting out of your comfort zone regularly will. Try a new hobby, shadow a co-worker for the day to see what they do or attend a conference focused on a new-to-you topic.
7. Leadership
If you think leadership is just for the CEOs or your manager, think again. No matter what your ambitions are, cultivating leadership skills while in school or while working that entry-level job can lead to greater opportunities in the future.
“如果一个大学毕业生的倾向leadership early in their career—this shows potential and promise for the future,” says Jagoda Wieczorek atResumeLab.
Sinceleadership involves many other traitsincluding humility, decisiveness and managerial competence, working to developing leadership skills as a whole can seem vague or overwhelming. Experience here is often the best teacher. If you’re still in school, consider running for class president or heading up a club. If you’re a parent, you could join the PTA or volunteer to coach your kid’s sports team.
8. Social skills
The phrase social skills may seem vague to you—what exactly are social skills? How many are there?
尽管答案可能会根据您与谁交谈或您点击的文章而改变，但Jasmine Chen的创始人胶囊，相信社交技能植根于自我意识，自我调节和同情心。
Self-awareness and regulation means understanding and managing yourself including your past, values, motivations and stressors. “If you’re not in touch with your emotions or triggers, you won’t know what sets you off or how to manage it if it does,” says Chen. This could affect your attendance, your rapport with colleagues and your performance. Though it’s not flashy, glamorous work, it’s important. Try asking for more feedback from your boss and colleagues about your behavior, or give daily journaling a go.
换位思考可以帮助你成为一个更好的倾听者in turn a better colleague. If you can relate to a client’s or colleague’s problem or distress, you’ll form stronger relationships and may be able to suggest better solutions.
Though it may be tough, working on your social skills is always worth it. “Good social skills ensure that a candidate can interact and work well with others, understanding the nuances of social interactions, bring the best out of others and ultimately, function as a part of a team,” says John Moss, CEO of英国百叶窗.
Moss recommends making an effort to engage with others from different walks or life outside of work or school. It doesn’t hurt to do some subtle people-watching as well to learn more about how others interact and think about what you’d like to emulate or avoid.
9. Productivity
Despite what entrepreneur influencers may post on social media, productivity is not about #thehustle or burning the candle at both ends. Productivity is about efficiency. “There is a big difference between busy and being productive,” says John Frigo ofMy Supplement Store. “Don’t confuse movement with action. You can run in place all day and not get anywhere.”
Instead of just working to get stuff done, evaluate your daily or weekly routines and consider how you can simplify and re-invent your job for the sake of your team and the quality of your work.
Learn how to make “smart to-do” lists, ones you can actually accomplish and don’t just overwhelm you with a multitude of tasks.
您准备好接受下一个世纪的工作吗？
不w that you’re familiar with what 21st世纪的技能和为什么它们对您的长期就业前景如此重要，现在可能是一个自我觉得的好时机。您是否拥有航行这种快速变化的现代经济所需的可转让技能？如果您能想到一些需要抛光的人，那就不会感到羞耻。好消息是，像所有技能一样，21st可以通过实践来完善世纪的技能 - 无论是正规教育的形式，雇主赞助的发展还是在您的日常生活中简单的重复重复。
如果您正在考虑发展技能的正规教育途径，那么您需要先问自己一些问题。通过阅读我们的文章，开始权衡您的选择：Should I Go Back to School? 4 Questions to Help You Find Your Answer。”
