Dive Brief:
- Digital skills are more in demand than ever, reports MarketWatch. Resumes with the word “digital” raise the likelihood of candidates getting hired.
- Even liberal arts students with additional digital skills are twice as likely to get hired as those who don’t, according to Burning Glass Technologies, an employment analytical software firm, MarketWatch says.
- Burning Glass Technologies identified eight digital skills that increase jobseekers’ hiring chances: computer programming, data analysis and management, IT networking and support, graphic design, social media, business administration, sales and marketing.
Dive Insight:
As most HR managers already know, digital skills are no longer limited to just the tech department. Almost every job requires an element of digital know-how, and the expanding pool of skills will help HR fill critical skills gaps. The need for tech skills is only going to increase. This latest advice — which complements research encouraging higher education institutions to build data science and analytics coursework — might help HR identify the latest digital skills required within various disciplines, such as IT, marketing, business administration or graphic design.
But the advice to jobseekers to tweak their resume towards these digital skill gaps should also throw up some warning flags for employers. Simply putting the right words on a resume doesn't mean a candidate actually has the critical digital skills needed. Employers can provide custom training for people they want to hire who don’t have the necessary digital skills, but that requires both time and money. The investment could be well worth it, but it's something HR needs to be aware of during the hiring process.
What is really needed is a long-term solution that establishes a sustainable pipeline of candidates who have concrete, well-developed digital skills. Employers and educators should form alliances or continue supporting the partnerships they've already established so that schools can better equip students with the skills employers say they need. Filling critical skills gaps takes more than just putting the right words on a resume, it takes a serious commitment to training and education from both educational institutions and employers.
