It’s hiring season: Are your skills up to the task? It can be tough out there for job seekers, but with the new year behind us, now is a time to consider boosting your skillset to improve your hireability.
Consider this: January and February are widely considered some of the best months to start looking for a job. Annual budgets have refreshed, a brand new year of planning often reveals the need for bringing in new staff, and hiring officers have returned refreshed from a holiday break.
This means it is time to consider beefing up your skills to take full advantage of the hiring season.
Generally, professional skill sets fall into two main categories: hard skills and soft skills. There are a myriad of ways to boost both, and the folks at Codecademy — the number one code learning platform in the world — have put together a shortlist of ways to overcome some common hiring barriers and put yourself in the best position to land that new gig.
1. Communication is Key
Efficient communication skills are among the holy grails for hiring officers. But too many job seekers struggle with it. Consider taking public speaking classes or even taking up improv — anything that forces you to communicate clearly and concisely in a public setting.
2. Learn to Code
Coding languages aren’t just for developers anymore. Every position in the house can benefit from a basic understanding. Boost your hard skills with tools like Codecademy and learn to work across teams with ease or be unafraid to jump in on the technical end.
3. Be a Leader
Being a leader can significantly boost your cache among hiring managers, though few of us are born with it. Leadership training courses are available online from nearly every major university and dozens of reputable organizations. It may even be useful in your private life as well.
These are just a few of the ways you can boost your hireability right now.
