As grad season returns in full swing, the job market is embracing even more shift from the inside. Hybrid jobs are on the rise, and the lines between technology and soft skills are being blurred. Now, the most sought-out job candidates have a mix of technology and people skills to meet the growing demands for
Bentley University recently published their analysis on this very topic. What’s the meaning behind these rising qualifications and shifting job roles? Consolidation, mostly. Companies are looking to maximize employee effectiveness, leading to more specializations in one job rather stretching them across various jobs.
So how can employees and job seekers begin to make themselves more attractive to companies embracing this change? The focus needs to shift to embracing hybrid roles, which encourage multiple strengths and understanding of various roles rather than specializing in just one skill.
As Bentley University writes in their analysis:
The report analyzed key jobs and skills across nine job categories representing different business, IT, and analytics functions – such as marketing, HR, and data analysis. The analysis, which examined data from 24.5 million U.S. company job listings from September 2014 to August 2015, found that 71% of in-demand skills are required across 2+ job categories. Candidates that possess those cross-category skills will be best-prepared for the Hybrid Job of tomorrow.
Of all the job skills that the analysis looked into, the top skills included: collaboration, mentoring, business development, and sales. The analysis advises that job seekers and employees incorporate them into their already-existing arsenal of qualifications for a smooth transition into the new work force. Bentley University President Gloria Larson was also quoted giving her perspective, saying:
“The successful employee of tomorrow will need to combine traditional soft skills such as communication and collaboration with the hard, technical skills that used to belong to a select tech-savvy group. This evolution reflects a growing movement in higher education, where more and more schools are finding creative ways to truly integrate liberal arts strengths with professional and technical skills. It is the way we need to teach and work – by helping to develop the ability to view opportunities, challenges, and problems through multiple perspectives, whether it is a student or an employee. It is exactly the type of change and innovation necessary to drive our economy.”
The hybrid job will require more creativity as you merge your own strengths to the new ideal job role, but the effort will be worth it. Hybrid jobs are going to bring a majority of the work force to the future, and in order to stay on top of it, it’s important that employees make themselves as prepared as possible for transitioning into these hybrid roles.