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As the business world evolves, the skills needed to succeed are shifting. Top companies track those shifts to ensure they recruit employees who are well-equipped to drive success in the current marketplace.
Job seekers can gain a competitive edge by knowing the skills that are on a company’s “must-have” list and demonstrating how they can deliver them. The following are some of the skills that recent shifts in the business world are bringing to the fore.
Versatile employees are prized in the VUCA era
VUCA, which stands for “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity,” is a term coined to describe the modern business landscape. As businesses have become more globalized, relying on both customers and suppliers outside their local regions, their operations have become increasingly complex and, consequently, more vulnerable to disruption. Economic shifts or industry disruptions on the other side of the globe can now bring volatility and uncertainty to any business.
For businesses navigating VUCA, versatility is critical. Versatile employees can flow with the changes that disruptions can introduce. They can pivot quickly, learning the skills needed to keep companies operational as business conditions evolve.
“Companies are looking for recruits who are fast learners and willing to expand their skills to support new initiatives. They are also looking for great jugglers who can move between a wide range of tasks with all of the necessary skills,” says Pedro David Espinoza, founder and CEO of Pan Peru USA.
Espinoza is a TED speaker, entrepreneur, investor, and author who founded Pan Peru USA to train and equip the next generation of Latina leaders. Pan Peru USA has already built 12 modern libraries, constructed nine computer labs, and empowered 10,000 children in STEM education. Espinoza is also the founder of SmileyGo, a platform that maximizes social impact by helping corporations establish meaningful connections with nonprofits.
Empathetic employees soften the edges AI brings to business
The rise of artificial intelligence has shaken up the employment landscape, introducing various tools that promise to make many manual skills obsolete. Yet, while AI’s capacity for automation has made many hard skills less desirable, it has raised the value of certain soft skills.
“The business world has become inundated with hard skills provided by AI, which has shifted the recruiting needs of most organizations,” says Espinoza. “Now, companies are more focused on the skills that make us truly human. Soft skills like empathy, patience, and joy are becoming the most important for job seekers.”
Empathy is especially appreciated in employees working in customer experience roles. While AI-driven chatbots can add efficiency to CX, providing streamlined access to product information or customer service processes, they can’t authentically empathize with customer concerns.
Empathy is also crucial for delivering the enhanced levels of personalization that customers have come to expect. As employees leverage empathy to understand customers’ feelings, they can provide tailored responses that increase satisfaction and drive customer loyalty.
“As more and more companies shift investments toward AI-powered tools, those who can continue to offer a human-powered experience will stand out,” Espinoza says. “Consequently, smart companies will be looking to add soft skills and human skills to the processes they can streamline and further empower with AI.”
Diverse backgrounds bring critical thinking to traditional industries
A report released by The State of the Workforce Skills Gap in early 2024 found that critical thinking was a skill many companies were having a difficult time finding. Critical thinking has become increasingly valuable as the complexities of the modern workplace have diminished the effectiveness of traditional solutions. Employees who can think critically are able to uncover new solutions that don’t suffer from past prejudices.
“Companies in more traditional industries are leveraging creative strategies to identify potential hires with critical thinking skills,” Espinoza shares. “In industries like banking, finance, investment banking, venture capital, and private equity, companies are seeking out candidates with humanities backgrounds such as philosophy and sociology to improve their chances of bringing on employees who can think critically.”
A more organic LinkedIn profile can attract more attention
Job seekers can highlight their soft skills by taking steps to showcase them on their LinkedIn profiles. A more organic profile that tells a story about you rather than just listing your achievements shows your capacity for engaging in a personal and personable way.
“Candidates can build their LinkedIn profiles and CVs to be more impactful by showcasing what matters most to them and why,” Espinoza says. “What is your character like? What makes you unique? Be as specific as possible with your hobbies, places you’ve travelled, languages you speak, classes you’ve taken, and places you’ve lived. It’s important to be human and vulnerable about your background. The more vulnerable you are, the more others can connect with you.”
Today’s job seekers are operating in an era of skills-based hiring, where education and experience alone are no longer enough to secure a new role. To increase their value, candidates need to demonstrate that they possess the versatility, empathy, and other soft skills that companies are prioritizing.
Also read: Traditional Tech Skills Still Dominate in 2025, Despite AI’s Growing Dominance
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