2023 tech graduates and professionals new to the tech industry are aware of the massive layoffs in their approaching sector. While this fact is intimidating, it has also opened a whole new world of opportunities that many new tech professionals might not be aware of. Companies that couldn’t compete with the lure of top jobs in Big Tech are seeing new possibilities and seeking a unique combination of tech skills from talent they couldn’t reach before. By acquiring tech professionals who have honed their tech skills to solve today’s and tomorrow’s innovation challenges, companies can further develop their businesses to thrive in a future world.
Combining the right tech skills for future roles
In today’s work climate, where skills-based hiring is more prominent than ever, a report conducted with Emsi Burning Glass and Harvard Business School that analyzed more than 51 million job postings between 2017 and 2020 predicted a reset to job requirements again: “projecting that an additional 1.4 million jobs could open to workers without college degrees over the next five years.” Graduates take heart, though, as education degrees will still be a major factor in hiring: the hidden message is that employers tend to believe college graduates have acquired greater “soft” skills.
For a tech career, these skills can look different than the rest. Tech candidates must be savvy in knowing which skills to combine and highlight in order to stand out. Some of the most sought-after skill sets within certain jobs include the following.
DevOps
Amazon defines this framework as a combination of development and operations that increases a company’s capacity to deliver services at a higher speed than traditional software development. This type of model results in improved collaboration and reliability if executed by the right staff. To employ it correctly, you must know how to maneuver the workflow phases correctly, from planning to gathering feedback, in addition to actual technical development. A prime example of this process includes the software monitoring and logging step, where workers must analyze the performance, log it, review alerts on issues, and inspect customer feedback.
Some skills needed to execute this successfully include: Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD)
- CI entails developers merging their code into a central repository and automating tests to find and fix bugs faster.
- CD builds off the CI practice because workers then situate the changes to the code after it is fixed.
Leading the charge in Digital Transformation
The above model skill set is also essential for the newest career in the industry: digital transformation. We often refer to the overarching concept of “digital transformation” in an organization and bringing in various technology concepts to overhaul business models. It often takes a team of specialized technologists to contribute to the end result by applying their specific knowledge and skills. However, the role of a Digital Transformation Director or Specialist is growing—and their job is to look at the whole picture.
Due to the economic conditions of 2023, knowing how to transform and integrate digital technology into all areas of a business is essential. In one example, Harvard Business Review highlights that retailers are and have been developing and using technologies to identify shipping patterns and buying behaviors. Many enterprises, such as Target, have incorporated this digital model and ended up with huge success stories. The company has since remodeled its stores with new technology and introduced features such as in-store pickup, curbside pickup, buying products off social media, etc. Forbes states that this strategy has increased Target’s revenue by 6 billion. This is a prime example of the type of jobs that 2023 graduates can have, whereas 2018 grads didn’t when the right skill sets are applied.
Protect and Secure with Cybersecurity and Privacy Tech Skills
Understanding what employers are looking for in a candidate can not only help you land the job but develop these skills further. In terms of cybersecurity, if you have strong programming, risk identification, and simple foundational technology skills, a job within an organization’s IT security section might be for you. This role could be in charge of mitigating internal and external threats posed by virtually any outside factors—a mammoth undertaking. Furthermore, Indeed states that logical reasoning and troubleshooting is also a key component to have when a company faces issues that not just anyone can notice.
In addition to security tech skills, understanding how emerging privacy laws affect company data for employees, clients, and customers, and how to apply safety features to enterprise systems to remain in compliance, will be a critical skill set for future tech. New privacy protection laws are evolving every day, both domestically and globally; consequences for violations can be harsh and swift.
In a world where data is king and something organizations heavily rely on to make critical business decisions, this poses a quandary – we want all the data, but are we allowed to use it? A tech professional with legal know-how and knowledge of how to safeguard systems in alignment with privacy protections will be invaluable.
Here at SSI People, we focus on talent and technology. Since technology is found in every discipline, it’s safe to say we have touched almost every industry. Our networks are vast, with talented people in traditional IT, Engineering, Professional Services, and Clinical disciplines, working as experts in the most sought-after roles across the board. Speak with an SSi People recruiting expert to find talent with the right combo of tech skills that will help digitize, secure, and protect your future organization.