10 Job Skills That Will Get You Hired in 2017 – Megan Elliott

Jan 092017

If you’re in the market for a new job, you’re not alone. More than 75% of full-time employees are either open to new opportunities or actively looking for work, according to CareerBuilder’s 2016 Candidate Behavior Study.

You might be more than ready for a career change, but you may not have the skills it takes to get noticed by recruiters. LinkedIn recently combed through its database to find out which skills employers were looking to hire for in 2017, both in the United States and around the world. They found you’re in good shape if your talents lie in statistics, cloud computing, and mobile development, while other job hunters might have to work a bit harder to catch the eye of hiring managers.

To develop lists of the top 10 in-demand job skills, the professional networking site looked at trends in hiring and recruiting from January through September 2016. LinkedIn predicts these skills will also be in high demand in the first part of 2017.

“While some skills expire every couple of years, our data strongly suggests that tech skills will still be needed for years to come, in every industry. Now is a great time for professionals to acquire the skills they need to be more marketable,” LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher said in a statement.

Worldwide, employers continue to be most interested in candidates with skills in cloud and distributed computing, which also topped 2016’s list of most-wanted skills. People with experience in statistical analysis and data mining also continue to be a highly sought after.

“Cloud and distributed computing has remained in the number-one spot for the past two years and is the Top Skill on almost every list — including France, Germany, India, Ireland, Singapore, the U.S., and Spain. Following closely on its heels is statistical analysis and data mining, which came in #2 last year, and #1 in 2014,” Fisher wrote in a blog post. “These skills are in such high demand because they’re at the cutting edge of technology. Employers need employees with cloud and distributed computing, statistical analysis and data mining skills to stay competitive.”

People with technical skills are in high demand, but those alone may not be enough to land you the job. Employers are also looking for workers with strong soft skills, though nearly 60% of them are finding it hard to find candidates whose talents are up to snuff, a separate LinkedIn survey found. Hiring managers also want to hire people who are good communicators, are organized, work well as part of a team, and are punctual. Critical thinking, creativity, and social skills are also prized by employers.

Eager job hunters who possess any of 2017’s most in-demand skills should consider highlighting them on their LinkedIn profile so they’ll catch the attention of recruiters, while those hoping to make their profile more attractive to potential employers might want to complete training in a high-demand skill. Sites like Lynda, Coursera, and Alison offer online courses (sometimes free), or you can earn certificates through a local university or community college.

“Recruiters know what they’re looking for in a position and if your profile or work history doesn’t have the specific keywords associated with your field, it makes it harder for them to figure out if you’re the right fit,” LinkedIn expert Donna Serdula wrote in a blog post.

Meanwhile, demand for some skills dropped in the last year, according to LinkedIn. Interest in people with marketing skills is falling off, as the supply of people with those skills has finally caught up with employer demand. And just because a particular specialty didn’t make LinkedIn’s list doesn’t mean jobs aren’t out there. Jobs for occupational therapists, nurses, home health care aides, genetic counselors, and financial advisors are also set to increase by 25% or more in the next few years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here are the top 10 most wanted job skills of 2017 in the United States, according to LinkedIn, along with the number of jobs requiring that skills currently posted on the site.