As if finding a summer internship or full-time job after graduation wasn’t enough of a process already, COVID-19 has thrown a few hundred wrenches in it.
Data from Indeed.com shows that job postings fell 31% just from mid-March through April and if you’ve been on the job hunt recently, you’ve probably noticed that things haven’t gotten much better. Companies that would typically be recruiting on campus right now have implemented hiring freezes and even those that are still hiring have been cutting down on available internships and filling full-time openings with previous intern classes or internal hires.
With a larger pool of applicants now gunning for the same jobs, it’s more important than ever for you to stand out on paper. The skills section of your resume is short and to the point, listing out the quantitative and qualitative abilities you can bring to a workplace.
That’s more than likely where a recruiter’s eyes will go, regardless of the type of position you’re applying for, so here are some of the most in-demand skills you can brush up on to help you score an interview.
SQL
Short for Structured Query Language, SQL is crucial in any career involving data. It’s the most universal query language used to access data within a database, making it a must-learn for anyone going into information technology or data science. Even if you don’t want to make data your 9-to-5, it’s still a useful and impressive skill to have in your toolkit and on your resume. Learn SQL free on Codecademy.
Adobe Creative Cloud
The Adobe Cloud is made up of over 20 apps: Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Premiere and Dreamweaver, to name a few. These programs can be used for anything from graphic design and UX/UI to video editing and augmented reality. The Adobe website offers a host of tutorials ranging from beginner to expert on all of their applications.
Any programming language
If you go to Georgia Tech, you are required to pass a computer science class before you graduate. Most of these classes will teach some combination of Java, Python or HTML/CSS. Even if you don’t want to go into software development, coding is an essential skill in today’s job market. It shows that you are a well-rounded, problem-solving and quick-learning candidate. Steve Jobs emphasized that everyone should learn to code because “it teaches you how to think.” If you haven’t taken your CS requirement yet, Codecademy can get you started for free.
Adaptability
There’s no free online class in adaptability but everyone has learned it in 2020. Your resume isn’t just about technical skills–essential skills like this one show that you’re a flexible human being. List it as a skill, then give an example in your cover letter of a time during the pandemic that you had to adapt to sudden change. Maybe you had to figure out how to switch your club activities to an online format. Maybe you had to help move your sorority’s recruitment to Zoom, maybe you had to learn how to give a live group presentation from different sides of the country. If you think about it long enough, you’ve definitely got more than a few examples.
Excel/VBA
You probably know at least the basics of Excel and you may have had to use it for a class or extracurricular. That’s for good reason – if you’re going to learn one technical skill, make it Excel. Formulas minimize the amount of time you have to spend doing calculations, pivot tables are essential for data analysis and auto-generated graphs give you a comprehensive visual to accompany your findings. It’s not just for accounting majors anymore. The Microsoft website offers tutorials for specific functions and edX has many more comprehensive classes.
Communication
Yes, another essential skill. It doesn’t matter what job you’re applying for; you need to be able to communicate with your team, clients and customers. Give specifics, like social media, press releases, technical writing, other languages you speak, email, presentations, poetry or whatever else you’re good at. Communication is the Excel of essential skills and it’s what your ENGL 1102 class and humanities credits are here to teach you. This is an especially overlooked area in STEM fields. Companies don’t just want a code monkey; they want a person who brings personality and creativity to the office and fits within the culture of the company.
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