Future Skills for Successful Careers

Our Principal Consultant, Philippe Weissenburg, was asked to present at a video conference with Deutsche Telekom about the future skills that employees need to be successful in their jobs.

Philippe’s audience included employees from all levels and functions who were about to leave the company due to a reorganisation.

Global trends and the Corona Virus

There are many global trends that are collectively driven by individual’s thoughts and actions that influence their consumer behaviour. This subsequently affects the job market and the increasing or declining need for workforces to fulfil those demands by applying their available skills.

Trends are influenced by numerous resulting behaviours such as: 

• sustainability,
• clean living,
• borrowing and sharing,
• expressing opinions freely through all media, particularly social media,
• flexible life and working styles,
• applications of virtual/augmented reality,
• change of generational customers,
• beliefs and ethics,
• as well as the effect Covid-19 has on all of us.

 These trends lead to new skills and jobs being created in all areas: 

• IT (WebShops, Virtual Engineers, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security),
• HR (Talent Management, Onboarding Specialist, Feel Good Manager, Workplace Manager, Distraction Prevention Coach, Chief Purpose Planner, Director of Well-Being, Genetic Diversity Officer, Human Bias Officer, Algorithm Bias Auditor, Work-from-home Facilitators, VR Immersion Counsellors, Human Network Analysts, Human-Machine Teaming Managers),
• Sales & Marketing (Amazon KAM, Social Media Manager, Customer Journey Expert, Head of eCommerce & Digital), Manufacturing & Engineering (Advanced Manufacturing Specialist, Data Insights Manager, Robotics Engineer)
• Service (Fitness Trainer, Food Consulting, plus numerous child care, day care and medical care positions)

Technical skills

Practically all functions will need to change at different paces to acquire new technical skills. Employees who stagnate will limit their employment opportunities in the future.

New technologies – both in existence and emerging – are gaining widespread adoption and their potential demand is global. This provides new employment opportunities in any country for people who gain the right skills. 

For instance, take a moment to consider the implications of these technologies to your role and your life at home:

Artificial intelligence,

• Internet of Things,
• Machine learning,
• Data visualisation,
• Quantum computing,
• Digital and crypto currencies,
• Digital voice recognition and handling,
• Chatbots,
• Voice search online,
• Big Data,
• Cloud-Security,
• Smart Cars,
• as well as digital basic skills (digital literacy), digital learning, digital ethics, digital interaction, agile working, etc.

Soft skills

There are many soft skills that are prevalent when it comes to being prepared for future labour challenges. Most are already present. These have already been required for people to be successful in the personal career development and especially in management. The main skills were and will still be flexibility, teamwork, resilience, sense of responsibility, being target orientated, organisational skills, and the ability and drive to take decision. Others include intercultural competence, ability to constantly develop, motivation to learn, and self-awareness.

Essential for management are building trust from their employees is an important personal trait as we will be working in an increasingly remote and virtual world. Traditional hierarchies will be less important. Agile organisations are the future and they require the above-mentioned skills.

Successful career development has always required workers to adapt and to except change. But the pace of change is continuous and technology is accelerating the pace.

Experience and education

If there is one trend that is changing the least, it involves need for people to gain relevant qualifications and learning new ways of working that will build their experiences within the changing markets. This trend has always existed, but it’s the complexity of the technical skills the is increasing, making their application more suitable and achievable to countries with high skilled and adaptable workforces.