The pandemic adapted how recruiters recruit because it changed just about everything in our world and that includes how businesses think. What employers need is more team members with the ability to operate, innovate, and lead with an inter-disciplinary approach that assures long-term growth, no matter the environment.
Staying agile and having a competitive edge when it comes to the jobs you want means bringing durable skills to the workforce. So, what are durable skills and how do you highlight them with your prospective future employer?
Durable skills, in many ways, are another vehicle of delivery for ‘soft skills’ in that whereas we once referred to ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills the on-trend language has veered toward ‘durable’ or ‘perishable’ and the categorization of these skills is now measured by their longevity. Here is a read.
In essence, durable skills are skills that are long-lasting and can't be taught but are acquired by doing - through experience - while they also have a shelf life of at least 7.5 years. Durable skills are also easily transferred between job types and industries - the value of these skills doesn't diminish when the title or employer changes.
Examples of durable skills include:
- design thinking,
- project management,
- effective communication,
- leadership,
- creativity,
- critical thinking,
- cognitive flexibility,
- problem solving,
- risk-taking, and,
- mental fortitude.
Why is this important for you to know? 44% of recruiters note that they would hire someone with strong durable skills over strong technical skills and right now there is a shortage of candidates who can speak to their durable skills because they have not gained the experience to acquire them.
And, lest we forget the important note that technical skills can be easily taught while durable skills CANNOT. If you gain the experience you need to build on your durable skills then you will be the smarter hire - no matter the role or industry.