The emergence of the pandemic resets about every aspect of our lives, including the very nature of work. The technological landscape and new ways of working have evolved at a fast pace in the last two years. Today, having a degree or being moderately proficient is not enough for paving a professional career path. The organisations are focused on hiring candidates, who are flexible and have the zeal to learn and upskill, as per the roles and responsibilities. According to a survey conducted by Gartner, where 800 HR leaders were surveyed in 2021, 68 per cent of the respondents felt that building critical thinking skills and competencies in problem-solving will be essential for companies, to consider a job applicant for a position. This will continue to be the top priority even in 2022.

In order to keep pace with the rapid transformation, while operating in a volatile business landscape it is important for the professionals to adapt technical skills, be resilient and proficient in agile ways of thinking. They should also have strong communication skills and social intelligence to work in line with a diverse group of people, who share a common vision and business goal. 

Some of the top five skills that are essential for millennials to sustain and succeed in their career are listed below:

Digital skills

As companies shift from physical headquarters to embracing the digital work environment, the knowledge of new technology stacks and frameworks have become imperative for professionals to survive in the changing ecosystem. According to a report by Strategy & a part of the PWC network, there is a global trend to accelerate investment in technologies such as robotics, blockchain and artificial intelligence. Consequently, the workforce of the future needs to keep learning and adapting new digital skills to move ahead with the rest.

Cognitive skills

With business models transforming to align with the business requirements in the new normal, employees with high cognitive abilities are critical to helping organizations succeed through these precarious times. A Mercer | Mettl Talent Assessment Practices Report India shows that 53 per cent of top companies have highlighted cognitive ability as their primary focus area for hire. Developing cognitive skills will enable professionals to not only analyse data but also deal with emerging challenges and think out of the box to foster innovation.

Social and emotional skills 

Many global companies believe that employees with higher emotional skills can handle change better, and carry the entire team towards the goal. This ability is necessary to deal with ambiguous situations, empathise with team members from different geographies and cultures, and make one credible to be an effective leader.

Agile skills

It takes strong leadership and organizational agility to successfully manage in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, during these unprecedented times. Having efficient agile skills will enable employees to get to the other side of such inevitable situations and thrive. According to McKinsey research and the Harvard Business School, companies that had successfully adopted agile ways of working have performed better and were able to move beyond the crisis. 

Adaptability and resilience

The skills that sets apart a resilient professional from the rest is the ability to bounce back and work with renewed zeal towards the path to success. In addition, adaptability is the key to survival and employees must be well-versed with the changing dynamics of the new-age workplace. In order to operate remotely, collaborate across geographies, and adapt to innovation, they should optimise the opportunity to learn and up skill in latest technologies to move past the uncertainties caused by unfolding circumstances.

As we continue to work through the pandemic, it is pivotal for employees to recalibrate skill set and rebuild capacity to strengthen important asset to overcome the unexpected events that may arise in the future. Investing in self-efficacy will support them to thrive in their career and also buffer against the impossibilities.