The labour market is constantly changing and both employees and managers must follow its rules. Today, it’s simply necessary to educate yourself and upgrade your knowledge that will help you manage a business confidently, stay rational and make strategic decisions. So let’s look at the key hard skills that are required for a leadership position now.
But before we begin, let us give you a small piece of advice. Once you read this article, you are likely to feel inspired to start a course or internship to enhance your abilities. This requires time and attention and if you lack them, don’t worry. Just pay to write essay and a talented author will be found at once. Indeed, delegating tasks to someone reliable is surely something worth trying. Basically, it’s a way to manage it all in our stressful times.
What Are Hard Skills?
According to recruiters, these are skills that a person can demonstrate here and now. This is true for foreign languages expertise, technical knowledge, quick information analysis, and others. These skills can be confirmed either in practice or by certificates and diplomas. They are narrow, belong to a specific field and make up about 30% of all competencies.
To get a basic set of hard skills, you need to use IQ while emotional intelligence is crucial for soft ones. The first skills are easy to identify as they can be tested on the spot. But when determining priorities, one must consider the specifics of the business.
For example, the head of a recruiting agency must easily conduct an interview and choose the best candidates, and an experienced restaurateur can replace the chef if needed. A senior web developer will fix someone else’s code and perform software testing in case of force majeure, while the head of an online store must be able to multitask and know how the website works.
Some skills are obtained at a university or college, and you get additional ones thanks to courses or online academies. However, the main thing is of course, practice.
Hard skills can be called the foundation of a career path. Imagine that you are a software development specialist. Important competencies for you will include thorough knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. However, a journalist must know how to draw up content plans, distribute tasks among authors and proofread numerous texts.
Therefore, hard skills guarantee that you perform your tasks brilliantly. So, what ar those skills for a leader?
Business Expertise
A person in a leadership position must be a universal specialist, so it is worth focusing on the following professional competencies:
Sales management;
Supply and logistics;
Audit and analysis;
Business correspondence and communication;
Monitoring of the competitors;
Control of key performance indicators;
Human resource management;
Budgeting.
Industry knowledge is super important as well. For example, if a company is related to cars, then the manager must know the assortment, names of components and brands of cars by heart.
If you work in an online store, be sure to study the principles of the site and the main rules of communication with customers. The more knowledge, the easier it will be for you to expand the business and make it flourish.
Foreign Languages
Without knowledge of a foreign language, it is difficult to grow a business, look for suppliers, customers and investors abroad. Knowledge of a foreign language is the second most important hard skill. The priority today is Spanish and Chinese. However, if you work with suppliers from Japan or Germany, then it is better to pay attention to the languages of these countries.
Learning a foreign language is an investment that will definitely pay off. You can start online courses, chat with native speakers via Skype, or work with a tutor.
Software Proficiency
Knowledge of all programs with which the staff works;
Cloud services used to make presentations, create tables and text documents;
Programs applied for time management and financial literacy;
Fast typing;
Ability to make effective research;
Work with planners, password storage systems
Task setting;
Using instant messengers and programs for online conferences.
Such a high level of basic knowledge is essential so that the manager has the opportunity to assist the staff and solve arising problems.
Skills Whose Importance Is Increasing Every Day
Basics of negotiations;
Knowledge of the law;
Ability to conduct interviews;
Techniques of material and non-material motivation;
Involving the staff in the work process;
Controlling task execution.
How To Develop Hard Skills?
In today’s world, new technologies and new information emerge non-stop. Therefore, a true professional not only has to maintain competencies at the proper level, but also improve them constantly. Here are some tips on how to develop hard skills that are relevant to any field:
Upgrade your skills by taking additional courses, attending conferences and forums and taking part in master classes and workshops. Also, why not take an internship? All this will help to get additional practice;
Study books, webinars and lectures on your own. The main thing here is reliable sources of information;
Volunteer in non-profit organizations where you can practice accounting, programming, promotion and more;
Take online courses where you can take real orders, such as interior design or landing page creation. With such training, you will be under the guidance of experienced professionals. Plus, certificates and diplomas are never redundant;
Exchange experience with colleagues;
Study management and foreign languages;
Take part in paid or unpaid internships to combine work with study.
As a result, you will get new experiences, add a line to your resume, make acquaintances, or even get cooperation offers.
To Wrap It Up
Do you want to become a multitasking specialist and modernize business processes? Upgrade your hard skills then. Many qualities come with experience, but most can be developed through training, courses, coaches and other techniques. By strengthening them, the manager invests not only in their future, but the effectiveness of the whole team.
In the modern world, more and more processes are being automated. Therefore, a professional who predicts various situations and knows how to build communication, becomes an indispensable specialist. To remain competitive in the labour market, you must never stop growing.
