Every job requires a certain set of skills to perform. These skills can be divided into two categories: ‘soft’ skills and ‘hard’ skills.
Soft skills are typically personal traits like teamwork, critical thinking and adaptability. While they can be useful to many jobs and sought after by many employers, they are hard to quantify.
Hard skills on the hand involve technical skills that can be more easily trained for and tested. Whereas soft skills can have a more universal application, hard skills are typically more specific to select jobs. However, there are some hard skills that are desirable in many fields.
If you’re struggling to find a job, learning one of these in-demand hard skills could open you up to many new careers. Below are a few of the best hard skills to have on your CV to make you more employable.
Driving
Having a driving license doesn’t just have personal benefits, but can also open up a whole range of new job opportunities. From courier jobs to traveling sales jobs, there are many occupations that require the ability to drive a car.
Of course, there are different types of driving licenses, and you can open up even more job opportunities by learning to drive a taxi or HGV. There are truck schools like Blue Horse Truck Driver Training that can teach you how to drive different vehicles so that you can explore trucking jobs or bus driving jobs.
Foreign languages
The world is becoming more connected and an increasing number of companies are looking for applicants that can speak another language to help with interpretation, translation or foreign communications. These jobs are often well-paid and may come with travel perks too.
Currently, the most in-demand languages (aside from English) are Spanish, Mandarin and German. Mastering one of these languages could potentially help you become more employable, however knowing any second language is better than no second language at all.
Programming languages
When it comes to building and maintaining websites and software, knowing a programming language is often necessary. Examples of jobs that require this skill include software engineering, web development, app development, data science and machine learning engineering. All of these jobs are typically well paid.
Which programming languages are most sought after? Python, Java, JavaScript and C++ are currently the big four. Other languages like Rust and Go are also gaining traction. Once you know one language, it’s easier to learn others.
Graphic design
Graphic design has become a hugely important skill in the digital age. It can get into many industries including advertising, publishing, entertainment and software.
There are individual sub-skills within graphic design that you can learn by taking a course or by teaching yourself through online tutorials. These include Photoshop skills, typography, illustration, animation, UI/UX design and print design.
Copywriting
Writing is clearly an important skill to have. Knowing how to write ‘copy’ – commercial written material – can be a particularly useful skill for exploring a range of marketing and written communication jobs.
Types of copy that can be worth learning to write include adverts, website copy, emails, manuals, white papers and video scripts.