Top skills employers are looking for
Here are the four skills our industry partners are on the lookout for in new hires!
Students collaborating. Image: Toby Burrows
Skills employers are seeking
The full-stacker
According to Chris Messina, who invented the idea of using hashtags, this means you're an agile employee who confidently navigates the technological landscape and understands the crossover between visual design (the look and feel), and interaction design (how the look and feel work).
Facing an overload of data, you can weed out relevance. You have specific expertise and yet you're abreast of other areas in the organisation. You embrace unfamiliar situations. You understand algorithms and coding, and you get what GitHub and StackOverflow mean. Self-sufficient and independent, you're always searching for best practices and improved productivity. You thrive on group collaboration and excel as part of a team.
The intrapreneur
Learning from the start-up scene, many corporations are investing time and money to foster "intrapreneurship". Apple, Sony, 3M, ING Direct, Coca-Cola, IBM, and Allianz are among many companies with innovation divisions. You may choose to dive into this type of role, with the passion and permission to disrupt an organisation from within.
A memorable example of intrapreneurship is Google. The company encourages employees to spend 20 percent of their time working on "what they think will most benefit Google". This led to employees developing Google News, Gmail and AdSense.
The project manager
According to Jeff Collins, president of the Dallas-based Innovative Management Solutions, to be a project manager communication skills are the key characteristic you need. You'll know how to share your clear vision and important information with team members so they buy into the project's goals and purpose.
Also, you'll display confidence, positivity and enthusiasm for the project while remaining level-headed and composed, embracing problems and leading by example. You'll delegate responsibilities and tasks, giving team members a chance to thrive and grow while not micromanaging their progress.
The data guru
Big data is growing rapidly and many companies struggle to keep up. Knowing how to extract data, analyse it and look for patterns are skills that can improve the use of resources, value chains, managerial operations, industry knowledge and growth opportunities.
Data analysts are in big demand across all sectors. International research and advisory firm Forrester also predicts a significant rise in companies hiring Chief Data Officers. Businesses need them across their operations, including finance, human resources and marketing.
Need to boost your skill set?
During your postgraduate degree at UTS, you'll develop the characteristics to help you be agile, look for opportunities to innovate and disrupt and be an effective project manager. You'll also have the opportunity to build technology expertise such as in data analytics according to your interest.
