The in-demand skills for 2022

The in-demand skills for 2022

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1. Writing

Writing is one of the most important skills for communication today and will continue to be a key skill for 2022. Clear writing can help readers understand your message, avoid confusion or mistakes, and even reach a larger audience. Online, you might write Facebook posts, tweets, or LinkedIn articles. You likely 

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1. Writing

write texts or other short messages to family and friends. At work, you may write emails to colleagues, create copywriting for a client, draft a proposal for your supervisor, or make sales materials for customers. At school or college, you might write homework assignments or reports, or a resume and cover letter to apply for a job.

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2. Coding

Programs and apps have become a critical piece of our economy and culture.  They are everywhere, from systems that help keep planes in the sky, to banking software, to classrooms, to the mobile devices we all carry every day. And what is the one thing these programs and apps all have in common? They are all created by coding.

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2. Coding

Coding is not only one of the most in-demand skills today, it will be an even more key skill for 2022.  Companies of all sizes and across many industries need coders. Many companies need people skilled in coding languages like HTML, especially in the booming field of digital marketing or web design and development. 

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2. Coding

Other companies need coders who are proficient in more technical languages like Python.

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3. Handling data

We may well have crossed the threshold from the Information Age into the Data Age. Data is being collected everywhere and is used to drive all manner of analyses, predictions, simulations decision-making, and other activities in business, science, and elsewhere. A key skill for 2022 in this area is data handling. This can start on the more basic, less 

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3. Handling data

tech-heavy level, like using equations in Excel, and can progress to high-end data analytics like using Python or R language to analyze data sets. Yet tech isn’t just for techies. While the tech sector has long been considered the domain of the tech-savvy and tech-trained, this is no longer the rule. The technology industry is booming and there are an 

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3. Handling data

ever-increasing number of roles required to support this industry, including countless roles that utilize less technical yet in-demand skills.

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4. Project management

In companies small to large, projects are the way work gets done. Project managers are at the helm with a set of in-demand skills. Project management skills are useful in many situations. They can be applied to manage not only the work being done within a project but also your own work. Project management skills are also scalable and 

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4. Project management

are useful in projects and programs of all sizes. Even if you are not a project manager yourself, taking an online project management course will help you understand how to work better with others, manage timelines, budgets, resources, and priorities, manage stakeholders and risks, and much more.

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5. Management and leadership

Management is a constant in every industry. From writers to coders to middle school teachers, unless you are a solopreneur or business owner, it’s quite likely you have a manager. At all levels, organizations and teams need management and leadership. Just as they are today, management and leadership will be key skills for 2022. 

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5. Management and leadership

Strategies, techniques, and methods in management and leadership include understanding how to motivate teams, effectively delegate tasks, develop employees, build a positive organizational culture, and other in-demand skills.

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6. Graphic design

The digital age is highly visual, and graphic design is a key skill for 2022. It makes products and information visually pleasing and in many cases easier to use. A good eye for design is valuable in many roles, and not just artistic ones. Marketers, web designers, app developers, and even software engineers often use graphic design skills. 

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6. Graphic design

Even jobs outside these can benefit from understanding graphic design principles, such as in creating presentations, training manuals, and other internal and external documents. Learning the in-demand skill of graphic design can help make you a more effective communicator and enhance your performance in many roles.

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7. Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing are the complementary revenue generators for any business. While you may not be in or even aspire to a job in sales and marketing, these are valuable skills now and will become even more in-demand skills for 2022. No matter what role you are in, learning sales and marketing skills will enhance your 

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7. Sales and marketing

knowledge about your company.  Understanding how your company fits within its industry, positions its products or services, reaches new audiences, engages with current and potential customers, and performs against competitors can make you a more valuable asset to your organization.

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8. Digital literacy

In the not distant past, digital literacy simply means the ability to use email. In the past several years, it has meant competency in using the handful of Microsoft Office Suite programs. Those days are long gone. Today, digital literacy means proficiency in not only a host of software packages but types of software. Some examples of 

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8. Digital literacy

soft skills in digital literacy include using tools like Trello or Asana, which are valuable for project management roles. Even a basic knowledge of workplace cybersecurity is essential to help protect your company’s data. Instant messaging apps like Slack or WhatsApp give teams instant collaboration. And perhaps the most important today are

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8. Digital literacy

video conferencing programs like Zoom and its alternatives, such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, which keep an organization connected across vast distances.

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9. Communication skills

Communication skills are valuable in all areas of life. Enhancing your soft skills in communication can be one of the best ways to help you reach your career goals. One example of soft skills involves public communication. The ability to create a presentation, understand the content, and deliver the presentation’s message and 

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9. Communication skills

information effectively are invaluable soft skills in many jobs. Other communication soft skills include active listening in conversations, storytelling to deliver messages in a compelling way, interacting with colleagues or customers in meetings, and being able to receive feedback.

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10. Problem-solving

While problem-solving is an essential soft skill in life, problem-solving is essentially the reason that every one of us works.  We are all problem solvers in our jobs and roles. Problem-solving is an example of a soft skill that everyone can and should improve. Training in analytical thinking and critical thinking can be applied in a 

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10. Problem-solving

vast array of situations, from how to perform a manufacturing process step more efficiently to finding the best program code for completing a task.  Improved problem solving will give you the ability to understand a problem, come up with possible solutions, and take the initiative to implement them.

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11. Adaptability

The soft skill of adaptability has always been important in life and business. But in the past few years, it has without question become more critical than ever before. One example of this soft skill is working remotely. From the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers around the world were expected to adapt to new situations and working 

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11. Adaptability

conditions, in some cases literally overnight. Improving your soft skill of adaptability is useful in any situation that arises quickly and unexpectedly.  This could range from anything to your vice president telling you to throw a big holiday marketing event on short notice to your company experiencing 

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11. Adaptability

a public relations crisis that must be dealt with carefully.

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12. Learning and development

The soft skill of learning and development can help in enhancing all your other soft and hard skills.  Taking the initiative to plan and manage your learning and development will help you keep your skills at their peak to allow you to perform your best in your current role and work toward your next career goal. Identifying the right skills to 

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12. Learning and development

focus on depends on your career.  Adding some in-demand skills can help you get from where your career is now to where you’d like your career to be. Learning and development is an example of a soft skill that will be key in helping you do this for yourself.

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13. Stakeholder management

Stakeholders are anyone who has a stake in your work. They include your colleagues, your fellow team members, your manager, suppliers, internal and external customers or clients, and others.  The soft skill of stakeholder management is critical in helping you interact with each of these stakeholders, understanding their needs, and delivering to their expectations.

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13. Stakeholder management

An example of this soft skill is communicating with an external customer to understand their desires for a new product, then working with your team to translate this into product specs, and working with your manager to confirm the specs are correct.  Coordinating between these interactions requires the soft skill of stakeholder 

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13. Stakeholder management

management to make it all successful.

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14. Time management

Time waits for no one. It has been argued that “time is money,” and in many situations in business, this is quite true.  Time management is an example of a soft skill that will reap benefits not only for your work projects but also for your individual performance in managing your workload. The soft skill of time management involves several 

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14. Time management

aspects, many of which center around the prioritization of tasks and activities. On a project, you might apply the soft skill of time management to estimate a project delivery date. 

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15. Emotional intelligence

An example of a soft skill that is often overlooked in business yet is still very important is emotional intelligence.  In the business world, emotional intelligence (also called EQ, for emotional quotient) is a soft skill defined as the ability to comprehend, control, and even develop your own feelings while at the same time being able to understand and manage other’s feelings.

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16. Self-care

While many people may overlook the soft skill of self-care as being selfish, it is anything but this. In the often high-stress world of business, self-care is vital to help you in being able to continue to perform your best in your job.  Becoming overwhelmed is counter-productive to success. Examples of the soft skill of self-care include learning to 

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16. Self-care

manage your stress and the ability to balance studying and working. This could be taking well-placed breaks while working to allow your body and mind some recharge time.  Self-care also involves maintaining relationships and connections to your family and friends or those in your support network. Hobbies are important as well, as they give us a 

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16. Self-care

creative outlet and rejuvenation.

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