THE eighth wonder of the world is compound interest (attributed to Albert Einstein). Lifelong learning falls in the same category and once it has become a habit it will change any individual’s life and finances for the better. Lifelong learning is important for an individual's competitiveness and employability, but also enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development.

1. The days are over when you send a curriculum vitae (CV) to an employer and an HR (human resources) manager ponders over it and decides whether it should be placed on a concise list for consideration. The advent of AI has changed the recruitment process and therefore applicants must be aware of how to prepare for the job application.

There are various platforms (free) that one can use to evaluate your CV and obtain a list of skills that the programme will pick up. In a recent case, a friend submitted her CV to such a platform and as many as 90 different skills were listed by the software, skills that the applicant was not even aware she possessed. Submit your CV and see where you can improve on skills required for certain jobs.

Certain working habits will go a long way. Some of those are showing up to work early, being available more often when your organisation needs you (such as when someone calls off), performing your duties better than your colleagues, showing a positive and refreshing attitude when you walk through the front door and ensuring your actions are furthering the goals of the company. Employees who have a purpose tend to put more effort into their work than their colleagues who simply show up to collect a paycheck.

2. Build yourself as if you are a company in your own right that needs to promote its products and services. We all have networks, even if we do not consciously cultivate them, but ensure you make proper use of them. Your network may include:

Your family, friends, and neighbours and their contacts.

Your work colleagues at all levels and their contacts.

Support staff who work in your institution (careers advisers, librarians, human resources professionals, training, and development professionals).

Former work colleagues.

Members of any professional bodies to which you belong.

People you meet at conferences and/or training.

Members of your online discussion groups and social networks.

Members of social or sports clubs to which you belong.

It is important to take opportunities to develop networks - you never know when a contact may be valuable - or when you might be able to help someone else.

3. Know the basics of putting your professional self online: “Social media is not just for socialising. When managed correctly, you can use it to enhance your brand, establish your expertise, or demonstrate your digital fluency. Commit to using social media for professional reasons and be initiative-taking about managing your activity and image. Consider what potential employers or colleagues will see. Make sure at a minimum you have a LinkedIn account with a completed profile. Try tweeting or blogging about your area of expertise, thereby creating content that others can forward, retweet, or repost. This can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field.”

Email is the most valuable tool. Even though there is a widespread adoption of social media technologies. Email is used for having discussions, for scheduling meetings, for sharing documents, and for sending quick and informal updates.

Use of social media tools to create professional profiles or presence Instead of setting up websites on institutional servers, researchers are now using LinkedIn and sites such as Academia.edu, and even blogs to set up their professional presence on the web. LinkedIn, for example, has options for describing the expertise, listing the educational qualifications, describing the professional experience, and various other communications.

4. Face-to-face communication is like the gold standard, with introduction of any technology, things get impoverished, something gets stripped away, it could be the image, or the tone of voice, or the physical quality of the voice. Face-to-face communications are more stimulating than using technologies, more sense of connection, more sense of engagement, both emotional and intellectual engagement with people

5. Big shift in the skills businesses are looking for in South Africa.

PwC’s 2022 Global Hopes and Fears survey found that so-called “soft skills” – human capabilities such as leadership, creative thinking, problem solving and conflict resolution – will remain as important as ever. Participants within the workforce have now recognised that more skills are needed outside of having the requirements to do a specific job to remain productive and competent when disruptions such as the pandemic, supply chain changes, the green transition, and technological transformation occur.

According to PwC’s survey, “employee respondents felt the need to enhance technology skills and knowledge in automation, programming and coding, modelling and data analysis to thrive in a post-pandemic world”.

The survey also noted that becoming a future-fit organisation requires an agile and employee-centric approach to work – where employees are valued for hard and soft skills. PwC outlined some of the critical skills organisations in South Africa are looking for, which are:

Productivity – the ability to set goals and meet them, prioritise needs, and manage time while working ethically and collaboratively with colleagues and clients.

Agility – the ability to cut through unnecessary work and focus only on essential work.

Strong emotional intelligence – the ability to have sound judgement under pressure and remain calm under stress.

Leadership in motivating and coaching to guide and support teams throughout a project.

Collaboration – working cross-functionally and across the business lines of service, coming together around the business’s shared purpose, which moves away from siloed ways of working.

Fluidity – fluid intelligence is the ability to think abstractly, reason quickly, and problem-solve independent of any previously acquired knowledge.

In many organisations, promotions are given to those who are not only competent and capable of higher-level work but also those who are passionate about the organisation. Analyse the professional demeanour of those in the position you desire and emulate them. Often promotions are given to those who show they can handle the position even before it’s offered.

As LinkedIn’s 2024 Most In-Demand Skills list reveals, there is more value than ever in augmenting your specialisation with the age-old fundamentals of communication, collaboration, and leadership skills. "I believe we are in the early days of a world of work that is more human than before,” says LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. One rose to the top as the “skill of the moment”: Adaptability. A phrase used by politicians in South Africa from before 1994 is still relative, “Adapt or die”.

Adaptability is mission-critical for both people and organisations. And since the pace of change in the world of work is predicted to increase, adaptability will help you stay versatile and composed amid these changes. “Adaptability is the best way to have agency right now,” says LinkedIn VP Aneesh Raman. “At the core of managing change is building that muscle of adaptability.”

* Kruger is an independent analyst.

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