Building a Tech-Savvy Skill Set: 4 Areas to Focus On
Even if you aren’t working in (or seeking) a job that directly involves technology, there are still plenty of benefits to growing your skill set in this area. After all, even “ordinary” office jobs require a basic familiarity with automation nowadays—and that requirement is sure to only grow as workplaces employ more complex technology like artificial intelligence (AI). Read on for a few areas in which you can focus to maximize the benefits.
1. Become an expert in the technological tools your company already uses
The most obvious (and easiest) way to get a leg up on tech skills is to take a look at what you already use in the course of your job and become an expert. Becoming tech-savvy doesn’t necessarily mean having to pick up brand-new skills. Especially if your time is limited, getting to know the ins and outs of your current system(s) is the quickest way to make the biggest impact.
Set aside some time to really learn the ropes of whatever tools your company already uses. Whether that’s Zoom, Gmail, Slack, or something else entirely, these platforms tend to have a plethora of “hidden” features that most people don’t bother to look into very closely. Master these, and you might just find yourself saving your entire office time (and thus increasing productivity)—a worthy goal that will likely cause your coworkers and boss to stand up and take notice.
2. Learn the art of a good spreadsheet
Listen, no one said these tech skills would be glamorous. Learning how to make an efficient and accurate spreadsheet—regardless of whether it’s via Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, or some other program—is just one of those tech skills that comes in handy no matter what industry you happen to work in. Punching in numbers, keeping track of contracts, calculating returns on investments…the possibilities are truly endless. Take the time to learn all the shortcuts and timesavers while making a spreadsheet, and you’ll find yourself becoming even more efficient at your job.
3. Become a social media expert
Love it or hate it, social media (in one form or another) is here to stay. While there are roles out there for full-time social media marketers, you don’t have to be one in order to stay up-to-date on the various platform features. LinkedIn is the most obvious and popular work-related way of staying in touch with current clients and customers, as well as an ideal way to reach out to a broader pool of potential prospects. Depending on your industry, however, more social-oriented platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook may also be appropriate.
Getting to know how to promote pages, increase visibility, and market your company across all the different platforms is a skill that will likely come in handy no matter your specific role. It’s also the type of skill that appeals to recruiters across a wide range of industries.
4. Become friends with coding
Coding used to be an extremely niche skill, one that only those who worked directly with the back end of computers really learned. But now? There are countless tutorials and programs online that will help you learn coding for free. Simply choose which “language” would make the most sense for you to learn in terms of your current job (HTML, CSS, Python, Ruby, and JavaScript are just a handful of examples), and get to it! Basic coding is one of those versatile skills that helps in everything from honing logic skills to assisting your ability to process data.
Gaining a reputation in your office as a tech-savvy worker—regardless of the industry in which you work—will only increase your chances of getting noticed by your boss and cementing your status as an essential employee. While some of the areas mentioned above are more complex and involved than others, taking the time to familiarize yourself with the full range of skills helps ensure that you have a role in the workforce now and in the future.