10 Critical Job Skills Employers Need in 2019

We are currently in one of the tightest labor markets in U.S. history. With more than 7 million open jobs on the market, employers are shifting their candidate requirements from specific titles, experience and education to focus on job skills that potential employees bring to the table. Companies like Apple, Google, Bank of America and IBM have all waived their college degree requirements and are taking a skill-minded approach to hiring.

According to Facebook’s vice president of human resources Janelle Gale, “skills really matter most.”

Gale advises people on the job hunt to focus on their skills and apply even if their experience doesn’t exactly align with the job description.

“We actually value skills over experience in the grand scheme of things,” she said. “Apply if you have the relevant skills even if you don’t have the right experience, because we’re looking underneath the surface for what’s really going to matter here and that’s what skills you can bring to the table.”

LinkedIn recently analyzed hundreds of thousands of job postings to determine what job skills companies will value most in 2019.

The top five soft job skills for 2019

5. Time Management

4. Adaptability

3. Collaboration

2. Persuasion

1. Creativity

Your cover letter is a great place to demonstrate your soft skills right from the start. Try to share something that is unique to you and showcases your professional strengths. For example, you can include a story on how you resolved a conflict or spearheaded a new work initiative that positively affected morale or productivity. During your interview, make sure you that you are allowing your soft skills to shine.

The top five hard job skills for 2019

5. UX Design

4. People Management

3. Analytical Reasoning

2. Artificial Intelligence

1. Cloud Computing

Of note, this year’s job skills list shows a clear shift in employer priorities. Creativity, adaptability and people management were all new additions to the list. These are all uniquely human characteristics and skills. Digital skills still topped the hard job skills list, showing that employers are embracing new technologies. However, it’s also clear that they are also prioritizing the things technology can’t provide.

If you find that you’re lacking in the hard or soft job skills categories, you may want to invest in upskilling yourself on your own time so that you can ensure you remain in-demand with employers.