Future Proof Your Career with These Two Skills

Jason David
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Anytime is a good time to consider the types of skills we can offer a potential employer. To be frank, there is nothing that can make us “perfectly employable,” and there will always be some degree of unknowability wherever we go looking for employment. This isn’t a call for despair, but call for adaptability. Here are two skills that can make your future brighter no matter what industry you work in. One is a “life” skill and the other a “technical” skill.

The “life” skill that will make you more valuable is conflict resolution. No matter who you are, who your boss is, or who you work with, it will make you an infinitely more desirable cog in a healthy work environment. Conflict resolution is an incredibly valuable skill—think about it—to be somebody who can keep a level head and think of compromises when there are points of contention—who wouldn’t want someone like that on their team? Conflict resolution is the type of skill that people notice as intangible over the course of any job tenure, and one that will make employer references shine. Every boss wants to recommend someone with the skills to get the job done, but the employee who provides an extremely positive psychological benefit is the employee the boss will find themselves thinking of when they’re looking for someone to join their new business venture or to take on a management role.

 

Alright, this “technical” skill is a little bit easier to get to work on immediately—become proficient in Excel! Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, the creme de la creme of spreadsheet software in almost every industry, is key to raising your value in any job you’re applying to. Every single business needs to keep track of things like revenue and expenses, and every single business can benefit from the myriad formulas you can utilize in Excel to measure everything from potential revenue from a new product/service to employee productivity and satisfaction. There are several of ways to increase your skills with Excel, and there’s no better time than right now to do it. Plus, proficiency verifications and ratings are a great way to boost your visibility when job searching. 
 

So, to summarize—work on your proficiency in Excel as an immediate goal to increase your potential value, and keep an eye on your conflict resolution skills over the years to make sure you can develop that into a strong skill that managers value.

 

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  • Robert M.
    Robert M.

    Excellent suggestions! Thanks for the tips!

  • William C.
    William C.

    Agreed...also stay relevant by mentoring & developing next generation of leaders

  • Phyllis H.
    Phyllis H.

    good advise

  • Cathie T.
    Cathie T.

    I absolutely agree! Thanks for the help!

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