You’ve probably noticed that more and more jobs are requiring candidates to have some level of technological know-how. In fact, formerly top in-demand tech skills such as word processing and using Microsoft Office have moved much further down the list nowadays, not because they won’t be used on the job – they will – but because they have become so ubiquitous that employers often don’t even feel the need to list them as a skill.
Instead, more in-depth technical skills are required, and it is becoming imperative to effectively highlight them on your resume to make your application for a job stand out.
So, which technical skills are top-of-mind for recruiters right now? And just how essential are they? How much does this requirement vary by industry?
The team over at ResumeLab combed through over 900 jobs across more than 500 industries to find the most common software skills requested in job advertisements.
The results show that you should learn how to use a pivot table. The skill to turn up most frequently in job ads was knowledge of spreadsheets, appearing in 44% of job listings. In fact, so important is the ability to analyze data – which is really what spreadsheets are for that the second most sought-after skill is the database user interface and query. Rounding up the top three software skills in demand is expert use of email.
Top 10 most commonly used types of software (and how often it is required in the 900+ jobs analyzed)
Spreadsheets—used for 403 jobs
Database user interface and query—used for 334 jobs
Email—used for 259 jobs
Analytical or scientific—used for 188 jobs
Medical—used for 126 jobs
Enterprise resource planning—used for 108 jobs
Computer-aided design—used for 104 jobs
Graphics or photo imaging—used for 104 jobs
Word processing—used for 100 jobs
Office suite—used for 81 jobs
Want to land a high-paying job in a growing field with plenty of opportunities? The research found that database/query, spreadsheets, analytical/scientific software, and medical software skills all rule the day as the most in-demand skills across both ‘highest-paying’ ($150k+) and ‘most likely to hire in the near future’ industries.
Artificial Intelligence is another area to study for jobs of the near future, as 86% of companies claim that AI will be a part of their mainstream technology use in 2021.
It pays to add tech skills to your resume. Company-specific software suites such as Microsoft, Amazon, Apache, Google, and Oracle products can help you become highly marketable, quickly.
Research the latest job postings in your sector to see what software and tech skills employers are looking for right now.
See technology jobs hiring on CareerBeacon today.
See the full report and complete list of in-demand tech skills from ResumeLab.