Do You Have the 21st Century Skills Today’s

Employers Are Seeking?

By Kirsten Slyter
Dec 16/22
Medium: https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/21st-century-skills/

As technology progresses at a dizzying speed, so does the world of the work. Every year
it seems there’s some new technology, skill or device professionals are scrambling to
master. This steady influx of new tech and skills to master can make it feel like you’ll
never catch up.

Though you can’t anticipate the technology that’s not yet on the market, you can
prepare for career success by focusing on the fundamental skills needed to navigate
these fast changing times—what some have dubbed “21st century skills.” These are the
transferrable “soft” skills that can be applied in a variety of settings an can help you as
you master more technical skills.

Though the software or tools you use to perform your job will likely change in the next
five, ten or twenty years, the soft skills you develop will last a lifetime. Let’s dive in to
what 21st century skills are, why they’re important and how you can develop many of
them in yourself.
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What are 21 century skills?

In short, these are the broad skills and abilities needed to be successful in modern
society. Over the years, groups of educators, academics and governmental agencies
have worked to identify and promote these foundational skills in order to prepare the
workforce for what’s to come. While you may see small variations in how 21st century
skills are described and defined from group to group, they fundamentally fall into three
categories:

 Learning skills: The skills used to process and communicate information. This
includes creativity, critical thinking ability, collaboration and communication.
 Literacy skills: These are the skills employed to develop savvy and informed
researchers and thinkers. This includes information literacy, media literacy,
technology literacy—all of which focus on your ability to evaluate and process
new information, particularly information found online.
 Life skills: The skills needed create a well-round individual that can thrive both in
their personal and work lives. This includes adaptability, leadership, initiative,
efficiency and social skills.
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9 Essential 21 century skills for any career

Clearly 21st century skills can cover a lot of ground—and while all are worth developing,
you may be looking for a way to narrow your focus. We asked career professionals to
identify what they believe are the most important soft skills for employees today.

1. Creativity

Creativity is key for many industries and positions in the 21st century. Any company or
industry in need of innovation should be searching for employees with loads of
creativity. The ability to think outside of the box allows companies to adapt to changing
markets and find innovative ways to resolve potential problems.

If you often feel stuck when brainstorming or problem-solving, don’t worry—creativity

can be cultivated. Staying up-to-date with news and trends within your industry and
others can get your creative juice flowing. “I do a lot of reading and encourage my team
members to do the same. It keeps us energized, integrated and creative,” says Michael
Stahl, executive vice president and CMO at HealthMarkets.
2. Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the key to students and employees coming to logical and well-
reasoned conclusions. Well-developed critical thinking skills help us objectively analyze
a situation, weigh options and identify potential outcomes to any decision.

It’s not hard to see how this ability can be valuable in life—and employers certainly
appreciate an employee who is forward-thinking enough to predict and plan for future
problems before they’ve even happened.

“If you can start to think in that way, you’ll be a valuable asset to any employer,” says
Jon Hill, CEO of The Energists.

Like any skill, critical thinking can be refined through practice. Try walking through your
day with problem-solving glasses on. For example, if you’re stuck in a long line at the
grocery store run though the situation—what’s the primary cause of the delay? What
can be done to help? Could this solution have an effect on other areas in the store? Just
getting into an evaluation and problem-solving mindset can go a long way in refining
your critical thinking abilities.

3. Collaboration

Collaboration is another key 21st century learning skill that will play a big role in your
career no matter your job title. Collaboration means being willing to listen, learn and
work with others to accomplish a goal together. The modern workforce is full of
employees with highly specialized skills and knowledge. This doesn’t mean you’ll need
to be able to do every job, but you better be able to collaborate with these people
effectively.

It’s especially important to demonstrate your ability to work well with others at the start
of your career when you don’t necessarily have enough experience to deliver high-end
results on your own. “If you’re able to work effectively with your peers, you’ll be able to
get much-needed help, expand your expertise and as a result, deliver better work,” says
Pete Sosnowski, head of HR and co-founder at Zety.

If you have a tough time asking for help from others or working with a team, try getting
involved in projects or volunteer work that forces you to rely on someone who knows
more than you.
4. Communication

Communication is probably a skill you are sick of hearing about—but there’s no denying
the value of being an effective communicator. It’s universally useful and your ability to
communicate trickles into all aspects of life.

“With so much automation that enables smooth work processes, communication is the
one skill that remains critical for a healthy company culture,” says Darko Jacimovic, co-
founder of WhatToBecome.

All of the technical knowledge and skill in the world isn’t worth much if you can’t
effectively get your point across in a respectful and coherent way.

5. Information literacy

Whether you’re doing research for a paper at school or a report or presentation at

work, information literacy is key. Information literacy is the foundational skill that media
literacy is built on. A student or employee with this skill is able to separate fact from
fiction by interpreting facts and raw data they might find online.

“A recent graduate should be able to find reliable information, judge what can be used
to indicate performance and act on those judgements,” says Alexander M. Kehoe, Co-
Founder & Operations Director at Caveni Digital Solutions.

Students can easily refine information literacy skills while in school through the scholarly
writing process, according to Kehoe. “A lot of research projects require good
information literacy skills to correctly interpret results and draw conclusions in a written
setting.”

6. Adaptability

Though this isn’t necessarily a quality you’ll see listed in a job description, the ability to
demonstrate flexibility can make or break or a job interview.

The job market is changing quickly. Adaptable employees are flexible in several ways.
They should be able to work both remotely or in the office, independently and with a
team. They’re also open-minded, interested in new ideas and willing to take on new
tasks.

How can you practice being flexible? Though lunch-break yoga won’t necessarily do the
trick, getting out of your comfort zone regularly will. Try a new hobby, shadow a co-
worker for the day to see what they do or attend a conference focused on a new-to-you
topic.

7. Leadership

If you think leadership is just for the CEOs or your manager, think again. No matter what
your ambitions are, cultivating leadership skills while in school or while working that
entry-level job can lead to greater opportunities in the future.

“If a college graduate shows a predisposition for leadership early in their career—this
shows potential and promise for the future,” says Jagoda Wieczorek at ResumeLab.

Since leadership involves many other traits including humility, decisiveness and
managerial competence, working to developing leadership skills as a whole can seem
vague or overwhelming. Experience here is often the best teacher. If you’re still in
school, consider running for class president or heading up a club. If you’re a parent, you
could join the PTA or volunteer to coach your kid’s sports team.

8. Social skills

The phrase social skills may seem vague to you—what exactly are social skills? How
many are there?

Though the answer may change depending on who you talk to or which article you click
on, Jasmine Chen, founder of Capsule, believes that social skills are rooted in self-
awareness, self-regulation and empathy.

Self-awareness and regulation means understanding and managing yourself including

your past, values, motivations and stressors. “If you’re not in touch with your emotions
or triggers, you won’t know what sets you off or how to manage it if it does,” says Chen.
This could affect your attendance, your rapport with colleagues and your performance.
Though it’s not flashy, glamorous work, it’s important. Try asking for more feedback
from your boss and colleagues about your behavior, or give daily journaling a go.

Empathy can help you become a better listener and in turn a better colleague. If you can
relate to a client’s or colleague’s problem or distress, you’ll form stronger relationships
and may be able to suggest better solutions.

Though it may be tough, working on your social skills is always worth it. “Good social
skills ensure that a candidate can interact and work well with others, understanding the
nuances of social interactions, bring the best out of others and ultimately, function as a
part of a team,” says John Moss, CEO of English Blinds.

Moss recommends making an effort to engage with others from different walks or life
outside of work or school. It doesn’t hurt to do some subtle people-watching as well to
learn more about how others interact and think about what you’d like to emulate or
avoid.

9. Productivity

Despite what entrepreneur influencers may post on social media, productivity is not
about #thehustle or burning the candle at both ends. Productivity is about efficiency.
“There is a big difference between busy and being productive,” says John Frigo of My
Supplement Store. “Don’t confuse movement with action. You can run in place all day
and not get anywhere.”

Instead of just working to get stuff done, evaluate your daily or weekly routines and
consider how you can simplify and re-invent your job for the sake of your team and the
quality of your work.

Learn how to make “smart to-do” lists, ones you can actually accomplish and don’t just
overwhelm you with a multitude of tasks.