Employers want to see these 10 tech skills on resumes

July 24, 2024 11:30 AM

It's clear that employees will have to be technologically savvy if they want to thrive in today's workforce, but they don't often know what that means — or how to adapt.

Ninety-two percent of jobs require digital tech skills, according to the National Skills Coalition, and yet one third of workers have low to no digital skills due to lack of investment in those areas. In an effort to help them narrow where they should be focusing their time, system design interview prep experts System Design School gathered data on the most in-demand tech-specific skills being sought after on Glassdoor.

"In today's competitive job market, having the right tech skills is more important than ever," Sheldon Chi, ex-Google engineer and creator of System Design School, said in a press release. "Whether someone is just starting their career or looking to advance, understanding which skills are in demand can significantly improve job prospects and career trajectory."

Knowing their way around a Microsoft suite is of top priority for employers, according to the research. Microsoft Office proficiency came in as the most in-demand tech skill for employees to have, with 14,201 job listings asking for knowledge of this software. Also in the top 10 were fundamental understandings of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word and the Windows operating system in general.

Aptitude in specific softwares and computer languages was also popular among employers, revealing how much more employees should be investing in broadening their tech skills, according to Chi, especially if they want to stand out in the recruitment process.

"Professionals [should] focus on these areas to enhance their employability and career growth," he said. "By continuously updating skill sets and staying informed about industry trends, people can position themselves as a valuable asset to potential employers."

See which tech skills organizations are hoping to see on applicant's resumes:

Microsoft Office

Number of job postings listing the skill: 14,201

A collection of applications that help users complete tasks on a computer and improve productivity. It includes programs for word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentations.

Software troubleshooting

Number of job postings listing the skill: 5,981

The act of systematically resolving software-related problems and aiming to either make the program function again or at the very least prevent it from interfering with other operations on the device.

Microsoft Excel

Number of job postings listing the skill: 5,137

A spreadsheet application within Microsoft Office that allows users to organize, format and calculate data.

Windows

Number of job postings listing the skill: 4,031

A computer operating system most commonly found on PCs.

Agile

Number of job postings listing the skill: 3,922

An umbrella term for a project management approach generally used by software development teams that involves breaking the project into phases and emphasizes continuous collaboration and improvement. The goal is to help tech companies be more efficient, productive, and responsive to change.

Structured query language

Number of job postings listing the skill: 3,604

A programming language for storing and processing information in databases.

Scrum

Number of job postings listing the skill: 3,602

Scrum is one of the terms under Agile that refers to a management framework that teams use to self-organize and work towards a common goal.

Jira

Number of job postings listing the skill: 3,417

A product that allows bug tracking, issue tracking and agile project management.

Microsoft Word

Number of job postings listing the skill: 3,394

A word processor application within Microsoft Office.

Active directory

Number of job postings listing the skill: 3,330

A directory service developed by Microsoft to specifically navigate Windows networks.