The job market is only getting more crowded as the years go by, so recent and older grads need to do whatever they can to stand out. In addition to having a great resume and the right experience, you also need your own unique skill set. Here are three skills that I think every professional should have, whether you excel in Photoshop or have excellent customer service experience. With these special skills, you will be ahead of the competition.

Public Speaking

Being able to speak in front of others is vital for most professions, even though it’s one of the more common fears. encompasses everything from addressing large groups as a public relations representative to communicating with fellow employees as a Human Resources generalist. Communication skills are key. Public speaking is a skill that is beneficial in many different fields, so at my college, we required all communications and business students to take a basic public speaking class during their freshman year. I believe that this course should be mandatory for all students, regardless of their major. Public speaking is a skill that will inevitably come in handy at some point in any career. Having good public speaking skills helps you in more than just large presentations. It also aids your conversations with coworkers, management, clients, and customers.

Technology

I believe that having at least some technical skills will help you become more successful than other people in your field. For example, if you know how to optimize website content for search engines, this will benefit you greatly as a writer. Being able to design websites or graphics can always come in handy since a client might need you to whip something up last minute, even if it’s not your forte. Creating a personal blog is an excellent way to demonstrate your writing, web development, and marketing skills. If you have some free time, consider enrolling in an HTML class or asking your partner to teach you Excel- it will be beneficial in the future.

Analytics

Having a strong math skillset will always help you in your future jobs. Being able to analyze data and make sound conclusions from that data will benefit your clients and company – maybe even impressing your boss along the way. Rather than writing mundane phrases on your resume like “Helped clients get more page views”, you can instead write something more along the lines of “Increased campaign’s clicks by 40 percent through a blogger outreach program.” The former looks noticeably more professional and competent.

What skills do you think are essential for any professional?

What are Melissa Barnes’ best professional skills?

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