Digital skills have become increasingly important to businesses and therefore increasingly desirable in employees. These skills are no longer just relevant to those who work in IT, but span across almost every industry as well as numerous areas of our lives.
The House of Lords have actually stated that digital skills should be taught as a third core subject, and treated with the same importance as numeracy and literacy.
With digital skills rapidly becoming vital in the workplace, those that have them now will be able to get ahead. So, how can you use digital skills to further your career?
1. Promote yourself
There are numerous digital tools at your fingertips that you can use to promote yourself professionally online. LinkedIn is the most well-known professional platform and if you’re serious about your career, you should be on it. Here’s how to make the most of your LinkedIn profile.
There are also plenty of other platforms that you could use such as Twitter, YouTube or blogging to show off your expertise and to establish yourself as an influencer within your industry.
2. Find the best jobs
Finding a job has never been easier with numerous online job boards to choose from (finding the right job for you is undoubtedly still a challenge though). However, with your digital skills you can get ahead of your competition by being where the most competitive jobs are advertised first – on social media.
For more about using social media to help with your job hunt, take a look at our advice here.
3. Learn faster
It’s so easy now to find out the answer to any question, just ask Google. You can use your digital skills to keep up to date with your industry, to teach yourself new skills, to read advice articles, or to get to grips with new tools/software.
If you want to develop and progress quickly, you have the power to do it.
4. Make better decisions
Unsure about which job offer to accept, which deal to sign, or which product to go for? When you have a decision to make, your digital skills can help you make it. Conduct thorough research online, read reviews and you will be able to make a more informed choice.
5. Work more efficiently
At Bridgewater, we like to say “work smart, not hard”. This is because we know that efficiency is key to success and it’s important that we consistently strive to be more efficient. There are so many digital tools that you probably don’t even know about that could make a big difference to how you work. How can you find them? It’s time to use those digital researching skills again!
6. Stay informed
Staying in your industry loop has never been easier. You can now sign up to industry-specific newsletters to get advice and updates straight to your inbox. If you’re a career keeno, we recommend signing up to CareerExperts.
7. Stay Connected
We’ve all got emailing down to a tee now, but don’t forget that LinkedIn is another great tool for staying connected with your industry contacts. You can easily share interesting articles, congratulate people on their promotions and drop them an InMail when they may be able to help you out (or vice versa).
Digital has undoubtedly transformed the way we work and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Keep with it and make the most of it, because if you do, you’ll see the results in your career success!
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