Tanya
What are some relevant skills to stay competitive in the 21st century?
Would coding, trilingualism, graphic design, etc be relevant for marketing/PR/branding interns? Would this be something interns/students need to adopt in their skill set in order to stay competitive? If so, what kind of skills would you recommend, and why?
#recruiting #communication-skills #marketing #branding #public-relations
9 answers
Leah Recchia
Leah’s Answer
James Constantine Frangos
James Constantine’s Answer
Relevant Skills for Staying Competitive in the 21st Century
In today’s fast-paced and dynamic job market, possessing a diverse set of skills is crucial for staying competitive, especially in fields like marketing, public relations, and branding. While coding, trilingualism, and graphic design are indeed relevant for marketing/PR/branding interns, there are several other skills that can significantly enhance an individual’s competitiveness in these fields.
Digital Marketing Skills In the 21st century, digital marketing has become an integral part of any successful marketing strategy. Therefore, having a strong understanding of digital marketing tools and techniques is essential for aspiring marketing and PR professionals. This includes proficiency in search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and data analytics. These skills enable interns to effectively reach and engage with target audiences in the digital space.
Data Analysis and Interpretation Proficiency in data analysis is increasingly important in the modern business landscape. Marketing and PR professionals need to be able to interpret data to make informed decisions and optimize their strategies. Understanding how to gather, analyze, and draw insights from data sets is a valuable skill that can set interns apart in the competitive job market.
Storytelling and Content Creation The ability to craft compelling narratives and create engaging content is a highly sought-after skill in marketing, PR, and branding. Interns who can effectively communicate brand stories through various mediums such as written content, videos, infographics, and podcasts have a distinct advantage in capturing audience attention and driving brand engagement.
Adaptability and Learning Agility Given the rapid evolution of technology and consumer behavior, adaptability and learning agility are indispensable skills for staying competitive. Interns who demonstrate a willingness to learn new tools, platforms, and strategies while adapting to industry changes are better positioned to thrive in dynamic work environments.
Interpersonal Communication Strong interpersonal communication skills are fundamental for success in marketing, PR, and branding roles. Interns should be adept at building relationships, collaborating with team members, and effectively conveying brand messages to diverse audiences across various channels.
Cultural Competence In today’s globalized world, cultural competence is an invaluable skill for marketing/PR/branding interns. Understanding different cultural nuances and being proficient in multiple languages can significantly enhance an intern’s ability to connect with diverse audiences on a deeper level.
Top 3 Authoritative Sources Used:
Harvard Business Review: The Harvard Business Review provides insightful articles on contemporary business trends and skills required for professional success in the 21st century. It offers evidence-based research and expert opinions on the evolving job market.
Forbes: Forbes is a reputable source for career-related insights and trends. It offers valuable perspectives on the skills needed to stay competitive in various industries.
LinkedIn Learning: As a leading platform for professional development resources, LinkedIn Learning provides access to courses on digital marketing, data analysis, storytelling, interpersonal communication, and other relevant skills for modern professionals.
These sources were utilized to ensure that the information provided is based on credible research and expert opinions within the industry.
GOD BLESS!
James.
Gabby Encinias
Gabby’s Answer
Great question. Yes, the skills you mentioned are definitely going to be helpful in the future. Along with what everyone else has already shared, a few other areas to consider are data analytics, product marketing and sales enablement. These 3 areas in particular, that not only align well with the branding/marketing side of business, but elsewhere as well. As a recruiter, I am seeing more demand for a marketer to be knowledgeable about data and how it can better a business, whether that is through creating dashboards via Tableau or calculating the number of "clicks" to a webpage. This is all helpful data that helps a business make decisions. Data drives decisions, plain and simple, so having a general knowledge in these areas will be helpful in any role you decide to pursue. Best of luck!
Gabby recommends the following next steps:
Vicky Brookshire
Vicky’s Answer
Hi Tanya! I think all the skills you mentioned will set you apart on a resume, but it is very important in today's work culture to be versed in soft skills, such as having great communication and networking skills. When writing out your experiences on your resume, be sure to site examples of how you handled certain situations by communicating well, or using negotiating skills to manage a problem. Employers look for this type of skill in jobs that entail a lot of collaborative work, like marketing. Another good skill to be able to show an example of is networking, which can be demonstrated by listing diverse references from work relationships from your internships. Having these soft skills will show that you have the ability to use the knowledge you have to get results. In my experience, these types of "people" skills are very valuable in any career! Hope this helps!
Matthew Scott
Matthew’s Answer
Of those, the one that stands out clearly to me is the coding skill. Specifically having expertise with SQL, R, JSON are all valuable. Why? Because when it comes to insightful analysis and effectiveness studies the better able you are to work with datasets the more impactful you can be. Secondly, with so much digital advertising and the integration of online platforms in brands, you need to be able to work with all of that data to understand what consumers want and the behaviors they take.
Ian Colwell
Ian’s Answer
Hi Tanya!
Of the three skill groups you listed above, I would say all three would be greatly beneficial to any marketing firm. I'm not in the marketing / PR space, so I can't comment directly, but I'll break out each one quickly below and why they could be a benefit:
- Coding: This is the one I would stress most for anyone moving out of school and into the job market. Development skills will absolutely always be of benefit. The ability to manipulate a machine to quickly make edits to a website, or application cannot be stressed enough. You don't need to be proficient in 15 languages, but if you have a core base level knowledge in base languages (C++, Java, Python, etc..) you could potentially make necessary changes yourself or at least go into negotiations with a contractor on a more educated footing.
- Trilingualism: Awesome. Exposure and familiarity with different cultures and languages is always a plus. Marketing / PR firms with international presences would love this ability.
- Graphic Design: Another great skill set that can be supported by a development background as well. Same as above, being able to quickly make adjustments yourself allows you and your company to be more agile and save funding for other purposes rather than needing additional talent.
When you're applying for jobs, coming to the table with a breadth of experiences like this is a huge plus. Anytime you can develop your portfolio (GitHub / CodeCloud for coding, examples of Graphic design you've done), will benefit you in these discussions. As lead interviewer within AT&T, I love to see examples of what candidates have done outside of course work to see what they are most passionate about and observe examples of how they have gone above and beyond.
Steven Chang-Hsun Hsieh
Steven Chang-Hsun’s Answer
Hi Tanya,
All the skills you listed are very valuable and important to career. For PR/marketing/branding perspective, I think being multi-lingual will be very helpful because when ones learn or be familiar with certain languages, they will also get to know the culture or think like locals. This will make your career more internationally and get into the global market. That is my two cents. Help this helps :)
Aime Velasco-Bernard PMP
Aime’s Answer
At this point in time, I believe any skill that allows you to expand your horizons is important. Learn another language, expand your career by acquiring a certification such as a PMP, ITL, etc. Anything you can learn that can allow you to transfer or approach your current job from a global perspective will be relevant.
