By professional competences we understand the capacities that a person has to develop their knowledge, experience and skills in the workplace. Do you want to know what are the skills of the future? From UIE we tell you all so you can give a boost to your career.
In recent years, the professional skills that companies take into account have been changing. This is because, both the professions themselves and the models of work and business organization are undergoing important changes. Knowing these skills will be essential to have a good CV and stand out in a selection process.
How to classify professional skills?
Before entering the subject, it is convenient that you know the types of professional skills so that you can learn to develop them.
Basically, a professional competence is an attitude. If you complement your training with this type of behavior, your chances of becoming a great professional will increase.
Thus, we can divide these skills into two large groups
- Hard profesional skills: these are the technical and specific skills of the job you occupy. These types of skills are obtained through training and experience. For example, if you are a programmer, you must have programming skills.
- Soft professional skills: in this case, these are skills related to personality. This type of skills can also be acquired with a little effort and some training. For example, teamwork, good emotional management, organization, etc.
Although they may seem less specific, soft skills are becoming very important. Many companies are looking for staff who have them. If you are able to get them, you will be more likely to access a job.
What are the professional skills of the future?
Social relationships and the business world are changing. Beyond the specific knowledge in an area (which would be the hard skills), today and in the future it will be necessary to have a series of transversal skills that make it possible to face the needs of companies. Here are some of the most important for the future.
Troubleshooting
It is necessary to have decision-making capacity and act with solvency in a difficult situation. Experience in management (what is often said “being toughened by experience”) can be an advantage, because it provides security.
However, it’s not just about having experience: generally, being able to think analytically and have creativity to find other perspectives can help you solve the problems that companies face.
The environment is changing, therefore, new cases of conflict always appear. It is advisable to remain calm and apply critical thinking to analyze the situation. Initiative is one of the most valued professional skills.
Organization
Currently, a worker has to be prepared to tackle multiple tasks (it is tending towards versatility). Sometimes you can be affected by stressful situations if you are not able to self-manage work and time.
Today’s world is running faster, production processes are shortening, and task delivery can be subject to tight deadlines. In this aspect, the worker must be able to plan with time, manage timing, withstand pressure and know how to adapt to any situation and task.
A flexible mind and a positive character go a long way in developing these skills. You can also design specific self-management strategies.
Teamwork
Another paradigm that currently occurs and is expected to increase in the future is related to the complexity of work processes.
In earlier times, a single person could perform all or almost all of the actions proper to a field of action. However, due to a greater demand for added value, for the final work to have the necessary quality, it is necessary to work as a team.
Different point of view (in a multidisciplinary team) is a must. Working alone cannot achieve the quality and speed that a team can achieve. This calls for perfect coordination, which makes it necessary to comunícate fluently and attend to the needs of others.
In this context, aspects such as respect and tolerance for the ideas of others, the ability to negotiate to reach agreements in the team, good communication, leadership and influence and other social skills play an important role.
Use of technological tools
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are penetrating all sectors. These types of solutions are necessary for the company to remain competitive.
Thus, any professional has the obligation (no longer the need) to learn how to use them impeccably.
Digitalization is a fact, all companies in the future must have an online presence. In addition, companies use various types of software to keep their internal communications active, analyze data, monitor costs, etc.
In short, technology is an essential resource in the enterprise. Not having professional competencies in this field means being left far behind in a personnel selection process.
