5 In-Demand IT Skills Employees Require to Succeed in A Digital Workplace

​Technology's impact on the business world is undeniable, making several significant aspects of business, such as communication, manufacturing, sales, advertising, and purchasing, more effective. Each week, new pieces of tech are being developed that will elevate the business world further, causing the development of new careers and changing the jobs already known to us.

Due to this, potential job seekers must consider the skills they require to achieve workplace success, not just the ones in demand today but also those that will benefit in the future. In a business world, we can only assume that will be even more technologically inclined and where more and more jobs are reliant on machines for partial or total completion.   It's also important to prepare well for any technical elements that could come up in an interview. If you are applying for a developer role, doing some mock interview exercises or reading a Software Engineer Interview Guide could help give you the best chance of success

Although there is an increased focus on the ability to work with digital tools in our rapidly digitalising workplace, the importance of soft skills cannot be ignored, as this is the one skill that machines and digital tools cannot do. From emotional intelligence to leadership and understanding economics to technical skills, we list several of the most in-demand IT skills employees require to succeed in a digital workplace – keep reading to find out more. 

File Systems 

​As the technological world reshapes the business world, it is essential that our means of storing data and other relevant resources also evolve. The days of traditional file management have become archaic, and as such, these organisation methods are no longer suitable for most modern-day businesses.

Instead of the beige, metal filing cabinets that we've grown accustomed to lining most offices, they've now been replaced by electronic file management systems. For those unfamiliar with e-filing systems, it refers to organising, storing, and naming files in a system or through programmes to make locating and accessing files more straightforward.

E-filing far surpasses traditional organisational methods as it provides employees with an easy-to-use, robust database that can store and organise hundreds upon hundreds of digital assets, from documents, images, videos, and much more. As a result, e-filing systems provide many benefits for organisations, from reducing the number of errors made, increasing accuracy, better security, and much more.

One of the most significant advantages of electronic filing systems is that they eliminate the need for bulky filing cabinets and free up physical and electronic storage space since e-filing systems are often used in conjunction with a PDF compression tool, making large files smaller and easier to share among colleagues and clients.

PDF compression tools also make it easier to organise files since you can convert them into the same file format, plus with the use of other tools like PDF mergers, and PDF to Word converters, which can help you combine files, switch between different formats, and reduce their size.

Learning the skills to manage an e-filing system and use PDF compression tools are incredibly useful for succeeding in a digital workplace as you will likely encounter them a lot while at work, and will save your employer the time, effort, and money to put you through the relevant training to be able to use them. 

Communication

 Soft skills like communication are always required regardless of which employment sector you operate in, and IT is no exception. Although for those unfamiliar with the work that goes into information technology roles, their brains may conjure up images of socially awkward academics typing away on their computer screens all day, to be successful within an IT role, communication is needed more than you might think.

Throughout the day, information technology professionals are expected to work alongside many teams and groups in an organisation. All of them have fluctuating IT skills themselves, meaning they could be providing IT services for individuals who aren't as tech-savvy as them. Due to this, it is vital that individuals in this field can demonstrate a strong understanding of verbal and online communication, whether this is over the phone, through email, or face-to-face.

Not every person can follow instructions as clearly as others, especially if they are technologically challenged, or explain issues they are experiencing in a way that an information technology professional would. Due to this, employees must be able to listen actively, be patient while they process what the individual has to say and give digestible feedback to resolve the issue. Since miscommunication is one of the biggest problems businesses face, it's even more vital that employees invest in communication skills to prevent any further problems from arising. 

Cloud Computing 

Another in-demand IT skill that employees require to succeed in a digital workplace is cloud computing skills. Arguably one of the most in-demand skills on our list, cloud computing saw a rise in popularity circa 2019 when hundreds of UK businesses and offices were instructed to close by the UK government.

As a result, many organisations turned to cloud computing as a means of continuing operations without a physical premise. Due to this switch, cloud computing skills have become incredibly attractive for potential employers. Job roles have even been created that emphasise cloud-only skillsets, such as cloud engineers, architects, and cloud developers.

Cloud computing skills include anything from cloud security, machine learning and AI, cloud migration and deployment, database skills, DevOps, serverless architecture and many more. Additionally, understanding the most popular cloud servers like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, and AWS is also helpful. 

Social Media Management 

​It is no surprise that much business is conducted online nowadays in our technology-driven business world. Due to this, companies must have a robust social media presence that represents their products/services and company values well on the web. To ensure this is the case, many organisations like potential applicants to have skills in social media management and understand how most prominent social media platforms work.

This is an attractive skill to have, as you'll be able to help organisations with their content management, search engine optimisation and web analytics which is beneficial for various businesses. 

Microsoft office

In the UK alone, over 200,000 organisations utilise Microsoft Office for various tasks. Microsoft programmes are so prominent in the business world that it is hard to imagine a single corporate setup that doesn't use this essential business tool.We'd wager that everyone reading this has encountered a Microsoft Office programme at least once in their professional career, whether you've used the tool to draft a letter or create a report with figures and numerical values.

Yet if you haven't had as much experience with this online office tool, it might serve you well to gain a prior understanding of what you could be getting yourself into. Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office programmes is usually a standard requirement for any role in the corporate sector. Failure to brush up on these skills before applying for a position can cause you to draw attention to yourself (and not in a good way!).

Therefore, ensure you brush up on your Microsoft Office knowledge by familiarising yourself with some of the most popular online office tools such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint so that you can demonstrate to your prospective employer that you have sound knowledge of the tools used within the organisation and eliminate the time, effort, and expense that they would have otherwise had to invest in training to get you up to grips with the programmes.