Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

March 20 news, since last year, technology companies have laid off a large number of employees, coupled with the accelerated development of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, more jobs begin to face the risk of being replaced, and workers in the technology industry are facing more and more pressure. Some professional experts and technology industry veterans say that to succeed in the technology industry this year, people need not only expertise such as programming, but also soft skills that cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence such as creativity and leadership.

Last year, workers in the technology industry were generally hit hard. According to the layoff website, 424 technology companies cut 120253 jobs in the first two months of 2023.

But the real situation may not be as bad as it sounds. Bonfire is a company that provides talent development accelerator services for a new generation of working women. "this kind of adjustment happens all the time, and companies often use the economic downturn as an excuse to cut jobs," explains co-founder Rachel Bellow Belo. "if we look at hiring and firing data over the past 24 months, we see that companies such as Meta, Salesforce and Microsoft hire far more people than they fire, sometimes hiring 10 times the number of people fired." But the biggest decline in hiring since last spring has been in the technology, information and media sectors, with hiring falling 41 per cent, according to a labour force report from recruitment website LinkedIn in February. In order to remain competitive in these areas, job seekers must have strong skills.

Whether technology workers want to keep their place in the company, survive business restructuring, or find a suitable new position, sustained intellectual and emotional growth can be good for their careers. Some professional experts and technology industry veterans have given the necessary skills for technology workers to succeed this year. Facts have proved that some skills do not require high professional skills.

"as the world and the way we work have changed dramatically, how we define terms such as management, communication and leadership must keep abreast of the times, because many of the previous approaches are outdated," says Jenn Lim, a workplace expert, Delivering Happiness chief executive and author of the best-selling book beyond Happiness. " It is time to remind ourselves that we need to choose wisely how to grow, develop and regain skills, and that if we do better at things that automation will never replace, then the possibility that we will maintain the relevant value will always exist. "

LinkedIn recently released the most scarce skills report 2023, which is the basis for assessing the experience of science and technology workers and what skills they may need to strengthen, but they need much more than that. "the company is not only looking for software developers, but also looking for developers who can combine financial, sales, operations and cloud computing knowledge." In other words, companies are looking for people with multiple skills. "

Twenty years ago, people were taught to be experts in a certain field, but now this is risky because a particular skill is likely to become redundant or replaced by automation. Danielle Boris, chief executive and founder of Sandbox, a human resources technology company that leverages and motivates talent, says: "to succeed in the technology industry in 2023, people need to have T-skills (a wide range of skills, a certain specialization)." Boris explains: "people should have an interdisciplinary breadth of knowledge and a depth of knowledge in a particular field, which is more valuable to organizations, especially those that constantly adjust their workforce."

The current job market is growing, and many employers have tended to give priority to skills when hiring. Andrew Andrew McCaskill, a career expert at LinkedIn, explains that measuring a job seeker's skills is as important as measuring a degree or work experience. McCaskill advises job seekers to think of skills as a "career toolbox", highlighting skills they already have and making a list to develop skills they don't have. "especially in turbulent times, adopting a skills-first strategy can make you more confident and proactive in the job market," he said. "

Like LinkedIn, Upwork has released a list of the most popular skills in 2023. Data show that 60 million Americans have worked at least some freelance jobs in the past 12 months, accounting for 39 per cent of the US workforce. "most of my skills are acquired through self-study, through platforms such as Microsoft Channel 365 on YouTube, and trial and error over and over again," said Ryan Clark, a freelancer at Upwork and founder of Mr. SharePoint. "the more high-quality skills I have, the more market value I have, so I keep learning motivation and stay at the forefront of the technology industry."

Kelly Donovan Donovan, head of Kelly Donovan & Associates, a company that provides services to job seekers across the US, says automation, artificial intelligence and digital marketing skills will be crucial in the coming months and years, and there is a growing demand for cyber security experts. "the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of jobs for information security analysts will grow by 35 percent from 2021 to 2031, and many Web development and software development skills such as Java, C++ and Python will also be valuable to cyber security," Donovan said. "

To quickly develop technical expertise, Donovan recommends cheap, less stressful, self-tuning options, such as online courses on Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, edX and Coursera. While online courses are a good way to learn new skills, Donovan warns that if you take online courses without on-site coaches and assignments, you should also find ways and channels to practice and really master the skill. "you can find the right courses through major universities, major technology companies, and promotional programs from edX and Coursera," Donovan suggests. " Both Coursera and edX work with a number of large technology companies to provide training certificates for graduates.

"as employers generally lower their degree requirements, they value small and micro certificates in industries like this," says Marni Baker Stein, chief content officer at Coursera. Coursera offers a free audit service for 5500 courses. Some of the most popular technical courses on Coursera in 2022 are the basics of user experience design, introduction to Python programming, and the first part of algorithms.

With the accelerated development of artificial intelligence, more jobs are at risk of being replaced, which makes leadership more and more important. In a new course at the University of Michigan, students immerse themselves in real-world situations, practice how to arrange tasks and receive feedback. "leaders are those who help employees navigate and even thrive in change," says Stein. "this is a unique human skill that may never be replaced by artificial intelligence."

Sheila Satish (Akhila Satish) is the CEO of Meseekna and an award-winning career expert and scientist. She has worked with employers such as NASA, Eli Lilly and Credit Suisse to evaluate and improve employee performance. "the biggest topic in the tech industry right now is artificial intelligence and what it means for technology workers to deploy tools such as ChatGPT in the workplace," she said. According to Satish, the two basic skills that keep people ahead of artificial intelligence and thrive in technology have nothing to do with programming and coding, but creativity and innovation.

"the creativity of artificial intelligence is far less than that of human beings, which is why it is important to cultivate your own innovative ability, because artificial intelligence cannot replace it in the short term," Satish said. "

It turns out that people's ideas may be more valuable than what they know. "all studies have shown that EQ is a better predictor of a person's performance in the workplace than IQ," said Celine Floyd, a senior industrial psychologist and vice president of Cappfinity, a global recruitment and management company. Skills such as resilience, agility, self-insight and inclusive leadership are crucial for tech job seekers, according to the Cappfinity research report.

"staying resilient and motivated means you can get through difficult times, become a source of stability and positivity, and adapt to a new environment. Everything shows that adaptability is one of the meta-skills of the technology industry this decade." "inclusive leadership is the ability to see and learn from the diversity values of others," Freud said.

Emily Anhalt, a clinical psychologist and co-founder and chief clinical officer of Coa, agrees that "if you are emotionally unhealthy, even if you have all the technical skills in the world, it will not have a positive impact on your career in the technology industry." Anhalter said that if you want to achieve sustained success in technology without trying to communicate, improve adaptability and self-awareness, it is like an Olympic athlete who wants to succeed but does not eat well and sleep well.

In order to develop these skills, it is necessary to keep practicing actively, and Anhalter recommends doing emotional exercise. "emotional exercise can be any kind of small emotional consumption that takes you out of your comfort zone a little bit, so you can grow," she says. "

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