What are hard skills?
These skills are abilities that are teachable and specific. They can be defined and measured, in comparison to “soft skills”. For example, a hard skill would be the ability to use specific software, programming, and knowledge in physics. They are often acquired by getting a degree or studying courses, certificates and awards are some of the ways you can prove your hard skills to employers.
On the other hand, soft skills can be creativity, leadership skills, and team-working abilities. These skills are intangible and therefore, harder to measure. That doesn’t make them any less important or valuable though! For more information on soft skills, you can check out our blog post on the soft skills that will help you excel.
Which hard skills are the most demanded in the job market right now?
The job market is constantly evolving, which means that there is a fluctuation in which hard skills are the most popular in job offers.
According to LinkedIn here are the most in-demand hard skills of 2019:
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1. Cloud Computing
We’ve all heard of the “cloud” by now. But what exactly does cloud computing mean? In short, it means the delivery of computer services, such as databases, storage, software or more, are available to us over the internet. Meaning we no longer need physical hardware and software to access these services.
This hard skill is fairly new, but most things are available to us by using the cloud, so people with in-depth knowledge of this hard skill are in high demand right now.
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2. UX Design
Also known as “user experience design”. Most companies and organizations now have a website; however, its mere existence isn’t enough. This hard skill is based on the improvement of user satisfaction when using services. Focusing on things like the look and layout, or the user interface, they improve factors like the usability, accessibility and the general enjoyment people will get using the service.
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3. Analytical Reasoning
We’re in a world full of data, in the era of Big Data, people with the ability to understand and interpret all this information are in high demand. They are capable of problem-solving and making decisions based on their interpretations, making them very valuable to a company. Helping them solve problems and improve factors such as productivity and success.
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4. AI
Artificial intelligence is slowing becoming a thing of the present, no longer of the future! AI is the new technological trend and companies who are looking for a competitive edge are on the lookout for talent in this sector.
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5. Mobile Application Development
A 63.4% of the overall population worldwide has access to the internet via mobile phone. And most of these people will have mobile applications on their phone. These statistics pretty much speak for themselves!
The mobile phone is a great way for companies and organizations to connect with their target audiences, making communication easier than ever.
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6. Video Production
It’s been proven that we’re a very visual society. Visual content has the ability to connect much more with audiences and attract a larger number of people and engagement.
With terms such as virality becoming big things in a company’s communication, and videos and gifs taking over the internet, this is a skill sought after by many organizations.
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7. Translation
In a globalized world fueled by digital communication, we are all connected on a worldwide level. Meaning that people capable of understanding and interpreting different languages are highly valued.
In an ever more digital world it comes as no surprise that many of the hard skills are related to digital technology, and if they aren’t directly related most skills are a consequence of its effects! If you are looking for a job or internship related to these skills you can take a look at our job board.