Skills Employees need in the 21st Century
The skills that qualified employees need in the 21st century are much different than those of the 20th. If you want to survive and thrive in the digital economy there are many things which must now be taken for granted:
Technical savvy
There is no way around it – if you can’t type, surf the web, build and maintain a social networking presence, download and learn new software or otherwise harness the power of the internet your employment prospects in the 21st century are nil. Everyone from construction workers to President Obama need to be skilled in digital interaction and communication.
Networks
Technical savvy is what gets you onto the street, but it’s your networks of contacts that will get your foot in the door, or will get you kicked back out of it. Now more than ever it’s not simply a matter of what you know but who you know that makes all the difference. While prospective employees used to be Googled by HR managers now they’re getting Facebooked, and as time goes on who you know (and perhaps what the people you know are up to) will become more and more important.
Mobility
A worker in the 21st century needs to be ready to move rapidly between places, careers and ideas. In the digital economy you could spend 18 months working for a software developer in Dubai and then take a job at an energy company in Tallahassee, then transfer to desalinization plant Israel, all the while utilizing the same basic skill set. If you have the freedom to pursue global opportunities those opportunities are there, and they are growing.
Cultural and personal sensitivity
The days of executives smacking their secretaries in the behind as they walked out the door are over – at least in America. But before you send your top female sales associate to the industry conference in Tehran you might want to check and make sure she’s okay with the dress code first. There’s no room in the 21st century for the cultural ignorance and chivalric attitudes of the past, and skilled workers need to recognize that the playing field in almost all businesses has tilted away from the executives doing whatever they want to all employees doing what’s in the company’s best interest at all times.
Old-fashioned business skills
But at the same time the 21st century worker still needs some of the vestiges of the past. Dress codes, excellent customer service, ethical conduct and a commitment to quality always have been and always will be essential tools in the successful businessperson’s toolbox. While many things do change, a few old-fashioned business skills will always be the same.
