2024 is here, and the workplace continues to evolve. How has your career changed over recent years? What types of skills have you developed that you may not have had early in your career? Do you possess the essential skills for your future career?
According to the World Economic Forum, here are some of the top skills necessary for 2024 and beyond:
- Complex problem solving – As issues arise with colleagues or clients, how will you work to solve those? This may include determining the problem at hand, outlining potential solutions, and choosing the best option for those involved.
Having the ability to think logically and integrate different perspectives is vital. - Critical thinking – It’s crucial to remain objective when evaluating the facts and considering the solutions. Employers want to hire those who can evaluate a situation and determine the best resolution, as this means he/she can be trusted to take initiative and doesn’t require constant handholding.
- People management – Showing superiors you’re able to manage others well can put you in a better position for promotions. When managing others, it’s important to get to know employees as people, have trust, and provide clear direction so goals are met.
- Coordinating with others – Coordination with team members, superiors, clients, etc., helps improve motivation, give direction, encourage team spirit, and achieve goals.
- Emotional Intelligence – This begins with recognizing one’s own emotions and feelings before understanding others’ emotions. It also means being aware of, having control over, and expressing one’s emotions in a healthy way.
Try to keep emotions from taking over when working with others and making an important decision. - Judgement and decision making – Assessing risk to determine the most successful outcome is a beneficial skill. On the other hand, indecisiveness yields inefficiency and can harm a business’ productivity.
Examples in the workplace may include analyzing data from a study to choose new product packaging, brainstorming fundraising campaign themes, and comparing the pros and cons of potential vendors for payroll. Typically, job applicants who show the ability to recognize and compare all options based on costs and effectiveness have an advantage over others who don’t possess this skill.
- Negotiation – This often involves some give and take between parties, but it’s a necessary skill to come to an agreement that’s mutually acceptable for those involved. Many different types of positions require this skill such as sales, management, marketing, customer service, real estate, and law. Even if your position doesn’t require much negotiation, it may still be necessary to possess this skill if you’re interested in a raise and have to negotiate with a superior.
- Cognitive flexibility – Can you transition thoughts between various concepts and continuously switch from thinking about one topic to another? If so, you’re said to have a high degree of cognitive flexibility. If you’d like to improve this skill, consider reading more, getting enough sleep, meditating, eating right, and exercising.
Additional skills that are considered beneficial for 2024 and beyond are:
Creativity – No matter the type of work you’re doing, it’s possible to be more creative. Doing so can also help make your everyday job more enjoyable.
Technological advances require employees to become more creative thinkers to be able to benefit from said changes. At Zight (formerly CloudApp) ( /features), our platform provides an efficient way to share visually and accelerate workflow.
In a few clicks, it’s possible to share a wealth of information in a concise and visually appealing way.
Are you able to adapt to changes and learn new skills? Those who become set on old ways and who aren’t willing to adapt may not advance their careers in the same ways.
According to Alvin Toffler (writer, businessman, and futurist), “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Communicating – written and oral – Concepts that may have seemed unrelated once may now be combined to shape new, innovative ideas.
Zight (formerly CloudApp) is a productivity app which allows anyone to streamline communication and workflows so your team can be more productive by spending less time on the back and forth and more time moving forward with projects to meet goals.
There’s no longer a need to ask, “What do you mean?” “Can you show me?”
We’ve helped numerous companies get back to the basics and begin sharing at the speed of sight.
Understanding and leveraging technology – As technology continues to change, it’s important for employees of all industries to stay on top of the changes and adapt accordingly to remain efficient. Using certain tools that become available can help push you ahead of your competitors so you can interact better with clients, increase sales, and meet goals.
Spotting patterns and trends – You might consider gathering concepts from various sources and identifying trends within them. Thanks to technology, it’s now easier than ever to quickly combine ideas and create a new perspective you may not have thought of otherwise. This idea could be used in numerous industries including education, finance, marketing, design, etc.
Analyzing information – Look at notes, studies conducted, spreadsheets, etc. and analyze how those pieces of information could be used to offer a more beneficial return.
If you could use some improvement in this area, it might help to be more observant, ask questions, learn how things work, practice problem-solving skills, and think harder about your decisions.
Not everyone is naturally analytical, so some people have to work harder than others. At the same time, creativity is another skill that comes more naturally to some people.
Consider trying to make improvements in each of these areas listed to make yourself a more well-rounded employee who sticks out above others. This can bode well for your career.
Does your team have an efficient way of communicating visually? Visual communication has become more common in today’s world, but having a more effective way of doing so can still help you rise above the competition.
Did you know the brain processes images 60,000x faster than text? With Zight (formerly CloudApp)’s visual communication tools, companies and individuals can work quicker and more efficiently.
The benefits of visual communication include saving time, communicating clearer, engaging customers, personalizing content, and grabbing attention.
Through Zight (formerly CloudApp), it’s possible for employees and companies to create GIFs, upload and share files, record one’s webcam, screen capture, screen record on Windows or Mac, snipping tool and more. It’s not always easy to get one’s thoughts across via email or a phone call. Zight (formerly CloudApp) helps get the message across in the most efficient way possible and in a visual method which people can comprehend.
Change won’t wait. Employees of all industries must begin adapting to new technologies and new ways of conducting business. Still don’t believe us? How will you adapt?
Step into the 21st century and catch up with the on-demand world. Sign up today for a free Zight (formerly CloudApp) account to improve your career and communication skills and keep up with changing technology into 2024 and beyond.
