Grappling with the pandemic-induced financial crunch, many companies have had to either lay off or furlough their existing workforce. The pandemic has affected hirings across all sectors and this has highlighted the need for an enhanced skill-set among the employees and job-seekers to navigate such unforeseen circumstances. In a survey conducted by the IP-driven incubation lab BridgeLabz, the responses from 1,300+ engineering job seekers reveal their strong inclination towards acquiring a robust, comprehensive skill-set that helps solidify their position as an employee.
The need for soft skills
As per the survey, 89.98 per cent of the respondents think that soft skills such as business communications can be extremely helpful in getting a job. It is worth mentioning that having soft skills on the resume is especially gaining importance due to the recent change in the work environment. As companies have transitioned into digital, remote working set-ups, they prefer employees with skills such as time management, communication, teamwork, flexibility and adaptability, critical thinking, and so on.
Interestingly, 81 per cent of job seekers view business communication as a requisite in the engineering field. While 16 per cent are indecisive of whether or not it is an indispensable part of the discipline, only 2 per cent don't consider it important.
Upskilling for an upward growth curve
The survey also recorded that apart from domain knowledge, 33 per cent of the job seekers would like to learn critical thinking. The said skill finds its relevance now more than ever as it is impossible not to come across multiple and contradicting sources of information while making a decision. Here, clear and rational thinking can help you make a well-informed decision.
The highly coveted skill is followed closely by the urge to refine linguistic and technical flexibility (31 per cent) and business communications skills (29 per cent). Whereas, only 8% of respondents sided with developing cognitive skills.
Future of work
Speaking on the survey findings, Narayan Mahadevan, Founder, BridgeLabz , said, “The pandemic has not only changed business models but also the hiring patterns and promotion structures. Today, an employee is expected to be multi-task and possess multiple skill-sets to be able to guide peers or assume extended responsibilities in times of crisis. Flexibility is the keyword here.”
“Be it any field, having additional skills goes a long way. This is what the survey highlighted. A majority of the engineering job seekers are looking to acquire soft-skills,” he added.