Whether you’re a young professional or a seasoned leader, everyone can benefit from a skills upgrade. But which skills will help you get where you want to go? If you’re ready to earn that promotion, find a new role, or just level up your skills, there are a few trending areas to focus on that could help take your career to the next level.

While all skills stand to benefit you in some way, others are just more valuable in 2024. As certain employees near retirement age and artificial intelligence looks like it’s here to stay, some skills are rising to the top in the eyes of employers. There are a variety of economic factors at play, but it also comes down to what employers are looking for.

In this article, we’re going to break down five of the trending skills that will help get your hired in 2024:

Communication

Communication has been a valuable skill since the beginning of time, and it remains so today. But in 2024, being a good communicator isn’t about just writing well and speaking clearly. These skills are still important undoubtedly, but the communication experts of today are able to do what many cannot – inspire others to act, fully engage, touch real emotions, and develop a deep understanding.

It’s communicators with these abilities that are most valuable on a team. Not only do they work more effectively as a part of teams, but they’re also more likely to find success with customers.

Communication is a soft skill, or a common skill, which means it is a skill highly valuable across any role in any organization. Everyone can use a good communicator, whether you’re brokering multi million-dollar deals, building houses, or selling gadgets.

Coding

Coding might just be the most valuable hard skill of the 21st century. If you look at some of world’s largest and most successful companies that have risen to power in the past 20 years, many of them have gotten to where they are thanks to very skilled people who know how to code. Google, Amazon, Meta, Netflix, and others rely on a small army of programmers and developers to carry out day-to-day tasks and achieve long term visions.

Also known as computer programming, coding is no easy skill to pick up. The skill is broken down into numerous different languages, each designed for a specific platform, operating system, coding style, or intended use.

Used for web development, data science, artificial intelligence, and more, the coding language ‘Python’ is one of the most valuable to learn. ‘JavaScript’ is another necessity that’s vital for building interfaces (front-end development).

Adaptability

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that things are bound to change so we better be ready to move quickly. As the ultimate bringer of “unprecedented times”, the pandemic taught us that things can change in an instant. Massive changes like this have the ability to upend entire industries, empower new ones, and re-think how we work. Knowing this, it pays to have adaptable people on your teams, and to become one yourself in case things go sideways.

Technology is a great example when it comes to adaptability. Adaptable people are able to master new technologies or demonstrate a general aptitude with things that just aren’t clicking with others. They embrace change, rather than run from it. Today, that might look like leveraging artificial intelligence efficiently and skillfully, while others haven’t really looked into it yet.

Customer Service

In 2024, many of the organizations that are thriving have a customer-centric mindset, meaning they put the customer first and at the core of everything they do. This approach is a great way to build long-lasting relationships for customers that are profitable and beneficial for all. Customer service is a big part of developing that customer-centricity.

Customer service is a collection of skills that are valuable in any work environment. In order to provide quality customer service, you must be able to listen and be empathetic while being quick on your feet with a knack for problem solving.

With top notch customer service skills, you’ll be a highly employable individual. Large organizations, especially in tech, have entire departments dedicated to customer service. Even smaller companies could benefit from customer service skills, whether for their own support staff, account management, outreach, training, and more.

Project Management

Project managements is another skill that can be used in just about any sector and work environment. Some organizations require designated project management professionals to handle accounts and see projects through as their sole job. Other organizations may not need these roles, but they do need team members with project management skills.

People with excellent project management skills possess a wide range of other skills that make them great team players and highly effective at getting things done. They are highly organized people, with great problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate. They also have critical thinking skills, along with the ability to budget, negotiate, and motivate.

If you’re looking for your next job opportunity, browse our job board or get in contact with us. We’d be happy to work together to find your next opportunity.

Finding a new job opportunity is one of the biggest decisions you can make – a decision that can impact your well-being, happiness, and financial security for years to come. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a role where you’re either bored, not fulfilled, aren’t paid enough, or are over-qualified.

Ideally, your new job should fit your lifestyle, and align with your goals, interests, and ambition. To find that perfect fit, you’ll probably have to look further than just the paycheque and daily responsibilities. It will help to have a specialist recruiting agency on your side to help you find a job opportunity that clicks with who you are.

In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the factors you should consider to determine if a job is right for you or not:

 

The work environment

If you plan on spending a good amount of time in the office, or if in-person work is required, you’re going to want to consider the physical work environment. You want to make sure it’s an environment that you can work from – ideally comfortable and conducive to productivity – among other factors. After all, you could be spending a lot of time here.

If you require quiet for your work that’s mostly solitary, an office with an open floor plan and plenty of conversation among colleagues might not be the best fit. On the other hand, if you rely on the input of your coworkers and appreciate open spaces for generating creativity, closed doors and cubicles probably won’t work for you.

If the office has an espresso machine, extra-comfy chairs, nice computers, and equipment or free lunches, that may also be worth something to you.

 

Your new boss & team members

It’s extra important to do the best you can to gauge your new potential boss and team members. It goes without saying that these people will have a big impact on your experience with the organization. If your new boss is supportive, shows strong leadership skills, listens and motivates your team, that’s a great boss to have. Those types of bosses can change your outlook on work and help you reach your full potential. But having a bad boss can be anywhere from deflating to a downright nightmare.

Your coworkers – the people you spend time with every day are also worth considering. You’ll likely spend the most time with them, so you’d hope they’re good people to be around. The last thing you want are colleagues that are unhappy or disinterested, or seek to undermine you and will do whatever it takes to climb the ladder above you.

Your new boss and coworkers can be difficult to get a feel for without actually spending prolonged time with them. Think back on your interactions with them during the recruiting and interviewing process, and don’t be afraid to go with your gut.

 

Your new role

With the work environment and people aside, it’s time to consider your actual role at this new organization. This factor could have the most significant impact on your enjoyment and fulfillment in the new position and company. After all, this is what you’ll be doing day in and day out.

With a little digging, you should be able to validate the job description on your own. To start, you can use LinkedIn or the company website to look up current employees who have a similar role as yours, evaluating their role and skill level.

It will also help to come armed with questions about the job description for your interview. If there’s any vague language about the position around day-to-day tasks, seniority, and overall goals, the interview is your chance to clarify things.

 

The company culture

The company culture can be difficult to get a read on if you’re only relying on the job application process and interview, but it should not be forgotten. The company culture is how people act and behave around each other, along with the shared beliefs and values that are evident throughout the organization.

For example, is it normal to communicate directly with your supervisor for help, or do people normally figure things out with colleagues instead? Is it normal to take long lunches, or leave early if you have personal things to attend to? Are team building or social events planned on a regular basis? The flexibility of the role itself should give you an indication of what the culture is like and you can also ask questions about the company and team culture during the interview process.

 

Your future

Ideally, your new job will be in line with your career goals and future plans. Before the job interview, take some time to ask yourself some important questions, and really consider where you’d like to be in 2, 5 or 10 years from today. Do you want a leadership position, lots of money, more free time, or something else?

If you’re looking for room to grow that leads to promotions, a bigger role, and increased compensation, you’ll want to figure out if that’s actually possible at this new organization. This can be a tough conversation, but try questioning the hiring manager about this possibility. It may turn out that the role isn’t expected to grow for the foreseeable future, or there’s no room at the top.

Your compensation will also have a big impact on the future you want. If the salary range or benefits available are not evident in the job description, don’t be afraid to ask. This can also be a touchy subject, but certainly one worth inquiring about – and a good employer will understand.

 

If you’re looking for a new job opportunity that aligns with your goals, skills, experience, and values, STRIVE Recruitment can help you. Since 2008, we’ve been helping job seekers find the opportunity of their dreams in Accounting & Finance, Manufacturing & Operations, and Corporate Administration, among other areas. Contact us today to get started and work with a recruiter:

Job rejections can be disheartening, but they aren’t the end of the road. In fact, they can be turned into valuable opportunities for growth and future success. It’s true. Instead of allowing rejection to shatter your confidence and dampen your spirit, why not use it as a catalyst for growth and self-improvement? 

In this blog post, we will explore how you can turn a job rejection into an opportunity to refine your skills, expand your network, and ultimately find a path that aligns better with your career goals.   Read more

For the last 20 years, LinkedIn has been the virtual hub for professional networking, job seeking and hiring. For young professionals especially, LinkedIn has become a useful and necessary tool. In many cases, a LinkedIn profile has become a regular piece of the hiring puzzle, right along side the resume and cover letter.

But when it comes to updating, optimizing, and being active on LinkedIn, many professionals tend to put it off. That is until it comes time to finding a new job. When you neglect your LinkedIn profile, you could be missing out on key connections, important information, and even job opportunities.

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