Most In-Demand Skills that will Help you Get the Job You Want

“Skills don’t die; only people do.”― Anas Hamshari

There are plenty of IT skills that are in demand. Job trends are continually changing and skills in high demand often attract higher pays.

Ideally, before you set out to look for a job, you should do some research on the top job skills in demand for your field, and apply for jobs accordingly.

Here is a gist of what you are in for in this article.

• Top skills in demand in the workforce nowadays
• Design
• Core industry
• Website Development
• Digital journalism
• Mobile Development
• Games
• Digital Marketing
• Cybersecurity
• Networks
• Databases
• Operating Systems
• Other skills
• Translation
• Blockchain

Top skills in demand in the workforce nowadays

Let’s look at some top skills that are in-demand these days.

1. Design

Design is what makes products useful and beneficial to end-users. Every item, be it a mobile phone or a car, has been designed, keeping in mind many criteria. Adhering to these criteria is what makes the product unique from its competitors. Design is going to be a big trend in the job market as people are more drawn towards the perfect marriage between usefulness and beauty.

• Industrial design

Take a look at the phone that you are using or the car that you are driving. Somebody has designed it to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. This field of creating products while making them practical and easy-to-use comes under the subject of industrial design. Every item that is manufactured needs to be designed first. During designing, a person has to keep in mind the features, utility, and ease of use. As the world gears up towards using a lot of technological gadgets and products, the field of industrial design, one of the top skills in demand, will only boom.  

• AutoCAD

AutoCAD is a software tool that is used to create designs and plans for buildings. It has been around since the 1970s. And its popularity in the engineering field does not look to dip anytime soon. Project managers, engineers, and graphic designers use it to draft plans for building projects or for designing various products. Hence, as one of the design skills in demand, having AutoCAD on your resume is a huge advantage.

2. Core industry

As the future looks to be computer dominated, some of the in-demand skills 2020 will pertain to the core computer domains of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The line between man and machine is going to blur, and we need to prepare ourselves for this inevitability. Right now, machine learning is an industry domain that will exponentially grow as machines study human buying patterns. With a consumeristic market in tow and an economy bolstered by e-commerce sites, look forward to having a world where computers will act as little minions.

• Cloud computing

Arguably, the most in-demand skills right now in the world are cloud computing. Cloud computing refers to the off-site storage of data or usage of facilities on the “cloud”. The cloud refers to many servers connected over a network and is synonymous with the Internet. These servers provide users with a storage place for their documents or allow them to share resources online. This storage place is known as the cloud. You can also use the cloud for analytics. Having a cloud service can significantly reduce the infrastructure set-up for any company.

• Artificial intelligence

Another example of high demand skills in the field of computers is Artificial intelligence. To understand AI’s popularity, it will be worthwhile to know that the stocks of Artificial Intelligence companies are skyrocketing. The combined AI stocks are looking to peak at $110 billion by 2024. If these statistics are any indication, it is time to jump on the AI bandwagon at the earliest.

Artificial Intelligence is the branch of computer science that deals with the creation of machines that are “intelligent”. These machines are capable of thinking and acting with human-like capabilities. It is not just the creation of robots or voice assistants. Taking only one example, AI is used in finance to flag unusual credit card activities.

• Algorithm design

IT skills in demand which will never lose their popularity, is Algorithm Design. Since computers can only work with algorithms, to accomplish their tasks, the development of algorithms will always be an industry trend. To be a successful algorithm developer, you need to have sound logical and reasoning skills.

As computers move towards working with vast amounts of data almost instantly, there will be a significant demand for algorithms that work with Big Data. A software developer’s job will still hold the same lucrative position that it has today.

• Machine learning

Getting computers to “learn” is one of the most in-demand technical skills. With machine learning, we first feed a lot of information or data to computers to learn from. Computers observe the patterns in this data that is provided to them and then make themselves capable of predicting future actions. To work in this field, you need to have a strong base in mathematics, statistics, and data science.

• Natural Language Processing

Eventually, we will move towards getting computers to understand what is natural language. Natural language, the language that we speak in, is what we hope computers will communicate in. Linguistics, computer science and artificial intelligence are all merged in this subject.

The test for natural language computing was devised by Turing when he said that a sign of intelligence in a computer is when the computers can fluently communicate with each other.

Time has proven to be a litmus test for job skills in demand, and natural language processing has succeeded in the trial.

3. Website Development

Almost every business has some online presence nowadays. The new market place is the Internet. And the new store address is a website.

With websites, anybody can promote or sell their goods and products swiftly. They can advertise and gain clients in an easy-to-access and straightforward way. In just a couple of clicks, consumers can complete the action of buying and selling. So, it is quite intuitive from this knowledge that website development will continue and remain in vogue as long as the Internet exists.  Website development will, thus, remain one of the most in-demand job skills.

• Web architecture and development framework

Creating and building a website is a difficult and challenging process. Traditionally, we divide website development into two parts. The front end development involves the layout and design of the website, and the backend development requires communication with the server-side. Some of the most in-demand IT skills are in the field of website development.

You will need to know HTML and CSS (the language of the Web) and have a firm foundation in JavaScriptn as well. Also, if you want to be a backend developer, you will have to learn the whole range of backend programming languages, like SQL, Java, PHP, or .NET.

• UX design

In front end development, one of the high demand skills is creating visually pleasing yet functional experiences for users that are operating your website, app, or software. How a person interacts with a machine is very vital to whether he or she will come back to use it the second time around. If he found the experience of working the machine or website simple, then your job as a UX designer is done! The main task of a UX designer is to take human interaction and translate that into a way that makes machines easy to use.

If you want to work in this field, you will need experience in designing websites and preferably have an understanding of graphics and design.

• Video production

One of the lucrative job skills in demand is the creation, editing and production of videos. Videos are growing in popularity, and around 92% of marketers rely on them to promote their marketing strategy. They are used to teach, entertain, educate, and give people a peek into the inner lives of other people, friends included.  

With the rise in popularity of Youtube and other sites, there is a growing demand for video production. Using a variety of free and paid software, videos can be created and developed in an instant. So, having this skill can get you employment in a variety of zones. It would help if you had a passion for computers and cameras. The process of editing videos can be quite laborious and time-consuming, but pretty rewarding at the same time.

• Audio production

Usually, along with video production skills, audio production is also one of the popular skills in demand. The chief employers of audio production are the radio, the music industry and television. To gain employment in these fields, you will need to get proper training. A clear understanding of the basics of audio production is a must in this field. You can also seek employment in those large corporates that release their marketing materials.

• WordPress development

More than one in four websites in the world are likely to be powered by WordPress! With such impressive statistics, it is easy to see why this platform is the most straightforward one where you can create websites and blogs. Being a developer in WordPress platform means that you should be able to create your unique designs and plugins for WordPress as well. Also, you can help clients to develop their websites and make sure that those websites are adequately maintained. WordPress developers make good money, and it is quite a “future-proof” job which means that it is likely to stick around for years to come.

As one of the most in-demand job skills, being a WordPress developer is surely an asset to any company.

• Video editing

Just like video production, video editing has become one of the major in-demand skills 2020. We have to thank Youtube and other video websites for the increase in the trend. The main application of video editing is in creating unique marketing content. Every organization needs to promote its message online, and videos are a great way of sharing the news in a visually engaging manner. You can also find employment in a variety of educational institutes that put up short videos for students.

• Chat support

Most websites nowadays have 24x7 chat support. These agents have to provide continuous support to more than one person at the same time. While it is a form of business process outsourcing, it requires extensive and thorough knowledge of the field that you will be working for. You will need to have strong written communication skills and multitasking skills if you want to be a pro at this job.  Online chat support will retain its post as the most in-demand skills 2019 into the next decade as well.

4. Digital journalism

Digital journalism is akin to traditional journalism, but it involves distributing the content on the Internet as opposed to print media and other outlets. Digital journalists have to create good quality news from what is trending at present in the news world. It also refers to any newsroom that is purely online. As everything looks to shift onto the Internet, digital journalism is slated to be one of the high demand skills.

5. Mobile Development

In 2020, the number of mobile phone users stood at 14 billion. Quite staggering, but it implies that there is a broad scope for developing applications for mobile users. Games, e-commerce sites, banking, finance, news, etc. are some of the areas where applications for mobiles come in handy. Top skills in demand in this field are developing apps for the Android, iOS and Windows phones.

• Mobile app development

Nearly every e-commerce website has an app that people can utilize to purchase items from. Also, banks have developed their apps where you can check your balance or transfer money. In addition to these, apps are also useful to book transport, order food and take online lessons. As most businesses migrate to the Internet, apps will be a useful portal for them to increase their clientele. Right now, one of the most in-demand technical skills is the development of mobile apps.

• Android development

Right with all the top IT skills in demand is Android development. You can create different application and games. Close to six million Android developers are there throughout the world today, and to their work, we owe the many apps on Play Store.

• API development

API are tools used to develop the leading applications. For example, the touchscreen that nearly every application use. The tool to handle the touchscreen is called the API. This field will continue to be one of the top IT skills in demand well into the next decade.

6. Games

Over a million video games are ranging from simple arcade games to complicated multi-user ones. They are addictive as well as educational and help boost mental activity in children. Prevalent among both children and adults,  game development will always be among the top IT skills in demand.

• Animation

Making art come to life is the domain of animation. The art of animation is detailed and laborious. You also need to have strong artistic skills in order to be good at this work.

• Unity 3D game development

Installing this software can help you to create games with the minimum use of code. Quite a relief!

Learning this skill can make you a very valuable asset on any game creation team.

7. Digital Marketing

There are around 4 billion users of social media in the world today, and they spend about 3 hours per day in front of their screens. So, it makes perfect sense that the new place from where to grab eyeballs is social media outlets and the Internet. Not only does the message get across quicker, but it also gets across to a broader spectrum of people.

• SEO/SEM marketing

Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing are some of the most in-demand skills 2019. Getting your website to rank through organic (unpaid) search results and paid results is what constitutes this broad marketing field. Since around 71% of the searchers click on the first webpage, it is a tough competition to rank on top. To spread your wings and fly in this field, you need to have good knowledge of SEO and various methods of getting a website to rank.

• Facebook marketing

Two-thirds of the world gets its news from Facebook so you can understand how valuable it is to market something on this granddaddy of social media sites.

With over one and a half billion users, any message put on Facebook is likely to travel the world in less than a second. Being a Facebook marketer involves promoting the company or products on the social media outlet and channeling the behemoth to drive sales.

• Content writing

Writing articles, blogs, basically any “content” to drive and boost sales, is called content writing. It is a sub-domain of the field of digital marketing. To help webpages rank, content is created in a way that makes use of search keywords.

• Pardot marketing

A subdomain of the Salesforce marketing tool, this leads generation and nurturing system is there to boost sales and drive traffic.

Trivia

When Micheal Jackson died, the search volume rose to such a rate that Google believed it was under attack!

8. Cybersecurity

Protecting networks from internal as well as external attacks fall under the purview of cybersecurity. Those who work in this field need to be extremely aware of the way networks function and how they can be compromised.

9. Networks

Usually, organizations set-up their internal networks to share files and resources. Maintaining and managing this data is what will make the secrets of the organization secure.

• Network and information security

Whether it is a government network or a private one, there is always a chance of someone causing a potential breach. To combat this, network managers are hired to take care of the internal health of the organization’s network.

10. Databases

As millions of users flock to the Internet and produce vast reels of information hourly, there is a demand for storing this valuable information so that organizations can produce quality services for people. Storing and managing data is going to be the next highest sector of employment as we enter into the coming decade.

• Storage systems and management

What makes storage management system one of the contenders for top IT skills in demand is that while having storage is one thing, organizing it for use is quite another. Managing and handling the vast repositories of data require experience and expertise of another level.

• Data Mining

While we produce reels of data hourly, what we glean from the data, that is, information, is more valuable than the data itself. Data Mining does just that; it mines the useful information from the large chunks of data.

Businesses need to analyze who is buying their stuff and how they can make their solutions more viable in today’s competitive world. Hence, they will be the biggest employers in the domain of data mining.

• Data Analyst

Analyzing data trends to capitalize on any gap in the market is what a data analyst is hired today. Easily one of the most in-demand skills 2019, this qualification will be required in the coming decade as well to analyze businesses and see which way the organization should go.

• Data Scientist

Quite similar to the post of data analyst, data scientists take data analysis one step further by using coding and mathematical constructs to create data models. They also utilize these data to help businesses make decisions.

11. Operating Systems

While there is not much development in operating systems going on except for updates to existing systems, middleware is a domain that is still hot stuff in computers.

• Middleware and integration software

Middleware lies between the operating and application software. Creating good middleware is quite a laborious and methodical process; hence, it continues to be one of the most in-demand IT skills.

12. Application Development

Almost three-fourths of the software that programmers write today consists of application software. These applications help us to teach, design, attend meetings, plan finances, etc. The list is endless. So, what is required to develop the latest applications?

Here are some of the most in-demand IT skills.

• C++ programming

With over 6 million users worldwide, C++ is a versatile and expressive language of choice for many programmers. The applications of the language are in the fields of games, operating systems, database programming, and cloud computing. IT skills in demand still include C++ and that too for solid reason.

• MySQL programming

There are over 4.6 billion computer users all over the world. These users are producing vast amounts of data every day. The data that they produce could be in the fields of banks, entertainment and social media.

To store and maintain data, we take the help of databases. The language that is commonly used to program databases is MySQL. Developers of MySQL continue to be in demand, and it is one of the most in-demand technical skills in the world right now.

• .NET Framework

.NET Framework is a development platform on Windows that helps application developers to build various apps. The framework consists of tools, languages, and libraries to build desktop applications as well as websites.

.NET continues to be an IT skills in demand, and that is not going to change any time soon.

• Java development

The language of the Internet, there are over 9 million Java developers in the world today. What makes Java so popular is that it is relatively safe language to write web applications. Programmers in Java continue to be in a place of privilege.

One of the greatest technical skills in demand, we do not foresee this trend declining anytime soon.

• Swift development

Developed by Apple Inc. in 2014, Swift programming is Apple’s answer to the .NET framework. You can use this language for developing desktop applications, mobile apps, games and even go so far as applying it to cloud computing. As one of the most in-demand IT skills, Swift programming also happens to be easy to learn.

• Shopify development

Feeling dissatisfied with existing e-commerce websites, programmer Tobias Lutke used the opportunity to develop his e-commerce platform where sellers could create their websites to sell goods online. Shopify has helped over 1 million shop owners to launch their business to the great unknown of the Internet. Becoming a Shopify developer can line your pockets with money; so, pick up this skill today.

• Tableau software

A great tool for visualizing all aspects of a business, Tableau was started in Standford by three researchers from the Computer Science department. The software helps you analyze your business in the most clear-cut way. If you know how to utilize the software, you are highly in demand in the workplace.

13. Other skills

The skills that we will discuss here are soft skills and management skills that require emotional intelligence and high interpersonal abilities in a person. They are not the traditional technical skills but a couple of additional skills that make work in the office a smooth and efficient process.

• Creativity

Perhaps, the skill that tops the list of in-demand skills 2020 is creativity. The ability to think out of the box while trying out a variety of solutions is the hallmark of a creative person. We need creativity in the world today to solve the problems that beset us. To make yourself a more inventive person, you can ask to be mentored by someone whom you find creative or original in their way of thinking. You can develop creativity in several ways, through recreation, solving puzzles and participating In brainstorming sessions.

• Collaboration

At any period in your work life, you will have to work in a team. For the smooth functioning of a team, one of the most in-demand skills is a collaborative streak. Collaborating means to work with others to create and develop something new. Those with this trait can effectively manage others, understand the needs of colleagues and smoothen out differences that may arise. They are also mature in their outlook and respectful to the needs of others.

• Adaptability

To stay competitive in the market, companies need to be relevant. This means they need to be providing services or products that are in demand. Thus, some of the skills in demand cater to this requirement itself. Adaptability in the workplace means taking decisions on your feet. While you work, you may encounter situations where you have to make decisions on the go. You have to rely on your judgement, and you may also need to defend your actions. Adapting means to cope with the changes and vagaries of the workplace.

• Time management

Soft skills, like time management, are some of the top skills in demand. Managing the schedules for the team and ensuring timely delivery of projects constitutes a trait in the workplace that is very hard to find. Companies are always on the lookout for those persons who can manage their work time effectively. Maintaining timing and staying true to deadlines are a quality that few possess and many need to hone.

• Persuasion

While persuasion cannot be considered as one of the most in-demand job skills,  it is vital from many perspectives. Those who can persuade others to take a particular course of action, or influence them to perform actively, are highly sought-after in the workplace. While being persuasive is a part of your personality, you can also learn how to be persuasive through training.

• People management

One of the few top skills in demand that are not technical is people management skills. Those who aspire to work in management or want to climb up the corporate ladder should gain and emphasize their people management skills. People management is all about maintaining and building strong interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Doing so keeps the team focused and united to face projects with mutual trust.

• Sales leadership

Sales will always continue to be among the most in-demand skills. After all, a company without any sales can hardly stay afloat.

Working in sales is not only a challenging position; it is also rewarding. Sales leadership requires you to identify the ways in which you can close business deals. So, to be successful in this field, you need to have high emotional intelligence and precisely understand what your buyer wants from you. Also, one primary job requirement of sales leadership is making and implementing the strategy of the sales team.

• Sales operation

The full gamut of what goes behind creating a sales falls under the purview of the sales operation.

• Analysis

“Analysis” is one of the technical skills in demand no matter the position you are working at. Employers are always on the lookout for those who can look at a problem from multiple aspects, identify the sore spots, and then find the solutions that can quickly solve the issue. These three aspects are vital to analyzing, and developing them will help you to be a much-valued person in the workplace.

You may also have to apply analytical skills in the workplace like interpreting data, assimilating new information and finding patterns.

• Project management professional (PMP)

One of the top IT skills in demand is having a PMP certification. Project Management Institute gives this certification, and there are over 1 million active certified individuals. Applying for this test and getting qualified can help you to score essential jobs in the industry. Having this certification boosts your value in the eyes of employers world-over.

Qualified PMP experts can easily handle projects since they receive training from the PMI to deliver on all aspects of the work. That is why this certification is considered to be the hallmark of a team that can function well.

14. Translation

As companies expand their operations in many countries, they will be on the hunt for translators. The company’s message and marketing activity all need to be conveyed in the local tongue. Hence, they require translators who are fluent in both the languages to carry out this translation for them. While it is not a typical computer skill, translating continues to be one of the top skills in demand.

15. Blockchain

With the advent of Bitcoin, blockchain came to be one of the most in-demand skills 2019. Blockchain is not like your regular database. It stores data in the form of blocks which are then chained together. This method is how the various Bitcoin transactions are reserved for future references. Many computers are now utilizing this feature for maintaining transactions.

Additionally, you can also prepare for technical interview questions and take a couple of technical interview preparation courses.

These courses will help you gain some technical interview prep tips as well as help you with Google phone interview questions, Amazon phone interview questions, and Netflix phone questions.

Overall, possessing any of these skills will give you a fair idea of where you can better yourself and how you can upskill yourself.

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