Top Non-Technical Skills For Your Career Growth
To keep growing in your career, you must aspire for more, seek excellence and excel. This means being willing to invest in our professional development, acquire new skills, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends and advances in our field. In this blog, we will cover the top non-technical skills and the related courses to help you inculcate those non-technical skills that you never thought of sharpening or somehow procrastinated to start.
Technological advances and automation have transformed how tasks are carried out in workplaces, generating efficiency and changes in the required skills. As a result, these transformations have generated new demands in the labour market. Companies constantly look for talent that stands out, provides unique value and is willing to adapt to a constantly evolving landscape. Let's take a look at those top non-technical skills.
Table of Content
- MS Excel for Business
- Communication Skills
- Leadership
- Data Analytics
- Digital Marketing
- Project Management
- Tips to Improve Your Skills
1. MS Excel for Business
Microsoft Excel isn't just a spreadsheet program; it's a powerful tool for business analytics and data management. Proficiency in Excel is a valuable asset in various roles. You can enhance your Excel skills by taking MS Excel courses or online tutorials to learn about data analysis, advanced formulas, and visualisation. These skills are crucial for any industry's finance, operations, and data-driven decision-making.
| Course Name |
Rating |
Description |
| 4.7 (410,252+ ratings) |
This course covers 4 levels of Microsoft Excel topics (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Macros/VBA). If you wish to take your Excel skills from beginner to advanced level and beyond, this course is for you. |
|
| Work Smarter with Microsoft Excel by Coursera |
4.7 (1,511+ reviews) |
This course will introduce you to MS Excel. Learn how to create advanced formulas, analyse data with functions, analyse data using functions and PivotTables, visualise data with charts, work with tables and graphical objects, and enhance workbooks. |
| Excel Tips and Tricks by Great Learning |
4.61 (50,000+ learners) |
Excel Tips and Tricks is a FREE course designed to help users of all levels learn advanced techniques and best practices for using MS Excel. This course covers a wide range of topics, from keyboard shortcuts and conditional formatting to advanced formulas and functions, data analysis and modeling, charting and graphing, and macros and automation. |
| Using Basic Formulas and Functions in Microsoft Excel by Coursera |
4.7 (1,062+ reviews) |
In this guided project, you will learn about the general format for writing formulas and functions in Excel to analyse sales data from a sample company, calculate total profits, use functions to analyse the popularity of the items sold and calculate averages and percentages of monthly profits. |
| 4.7 (36+ ratings) |
The free course is designed for those with little or no functional knowledge of Excel. You will gain the confidence to navigate the Excel interface, master essential spreadsheet functions, perform calculations and produce creative charts and graphs. |
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2. Communication Skills
Communication is one of the most necessary skills to grow and lead teams. Know how to listen carefully, interpret the context of the conversation, express oneself clearly, persuade others to our point of view, control body language and use an attractive presentation style that does not intimidate or bore.
Consider enrolling in courses that focus on business communication, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. Strong communication skills are vital for conveying your ideas persuasively, collaborating effectively, and building strong professional relationships. We recommend some communication courses to sharpen your skills.
| Course Name |
Rating |
Description |
| 4.7 (1,891 + reviews) |
Learn how to communicate more effectively at work and achieve your goals. Taught by award-winning Wharton professor and best-selling author Maurice Schweitzer, Improving Communications Skills is an essential course designed to give you both the tools you need to improve your communication skills. |
|
| Business Communication Principles by Great Learning |
4.53 (2800+ Learners) |
In this free course, you'll learn how to write business proposals, the importance of telephonic and cell phone etiquette, the alignment of public relations with marketing and communication techniques, etc. |
| Leadership Communication for Maximum Impact: Storytelling by Coursera |
4.5 (1,094 + reviews) |
This course helps leaders find their own story through personal branding, develop storytelling success with all constituencies, initiate an effective voice for a crisis, interact well through social and third-party media, and communicate a vision for innovation. |
| Business Communication Skills: Business Writing & Grammar by Udemy |
4.5 (18,849+ ratings) |
This course will turn you into a better writer and communicator. |
3. Leadership
Leadership skills are valuable at all career stages, whether in a managerial position or not. Leadership courses can help you develop essential qualities such as problem-solving, decision-making, delegation, and motivation. Effective leaders inspire teams, drive innovation, and navigate challenges with confidence. Leadership development programs provide insights into your leadership style and offer strategies for improvement. Here are some leadership courses to help you learn this skill.
| Course Name |
Rating |
Description |
| International Leadership and Organizational Behavior by Coursera |
4.8 (3,094+ reviews) |
Learn the theory and practice of international and intercultural leadership and organisational behaviour. Explore what shapes individual and group decision-making, what enhances or weakens team performance, and how we can build and use our social networks. |
| 4.6 (73,321 ratings) |
This bestseller course will enable you to master leadership skills and techniques, understand academic theories surrounding leadership styles and techniques, build a vast array of practical tools to be a fantastic leader and know the difference between delegating styles as per situations. |
|
| Principles of Leadership by Great Learning |
4.68 (10800+ learners) |
This free course will explain the essential qualities of a leader, introduce you to the leadership purpose and vision, and offer knowledge of Ownership and structures, Authenticity, Humility, Flexibility, Emotional Intelligence, and Respect characteristics of a leader. |
| Managing the Company of the Future by Coursera |
4.8 (3,432 reviews) |
The course aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding both the traditional principles of management inside companies today and the alternative principles that are becoming increasingly important. It offers theoretical and practical perspectives on the nature of management in today's organisations. |
| Leadership Through Marketing by Coursera |
4.6 (441 reviews) |
In this course, students will learn how to identify new opportunities to create value for empowered consumers, develop strategies that yield an advantage over rivals, allocate resources, and confidently confront this challenging environment. |
4. Data Analytics
In today's data-driven world, a basic understanding of data analytics can set you apart. You don't need to be a data scientist, but a grasp of data analytics basics can be a career accelerator. Consider courses in data analysis, data visualization, and statistical tools like Python or R. These skills enable you to interpret data, extract meaningful insights, and make data-driven decisions across industries.
| Course Name |
Rating |
Description |
| Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate by Coursera |
4.8 (126,460+ reviews) |
Learn key analytical skills (data cleaning, analysis, & visualisation) and tools (spreadsheets, SQL, R programming, Tableau), understand how to clean and organise data for analysis, and complete analysis and calculations using spreadsheets, SQL and R programming, and learn how to visualise and present data findings in dashboards, presentations and commonly used visualization platforms. |
| Introduction to Data Analytics Course by Simplilearn |
4.6 (256,817 Learners) |
This course introduces beginners to the fundamental data analytics concepts through real-world case studies and examples. Learn about project lifecycles, the difference between data analytics, data science, and machine learning, building an analytics framework, and using analytics tools to draw business insights. |
| Data Analytics using Excel by Great Learning |
4.6 (37,200 Learners) |
This free course has been designed to prepare you for meaningful future opportunities concerning Data Analytics. |
| Introduction to Data Analytics on Google Cloud by Coursera |
Learn about the Data Analytics workflow on Google Cloud and the tools you can use to explore, analyze, and visualize data and share your findings with stakeholders. Using a case study, hands-on labs, lectures, and quizzes/demos, the course will demonstrate how to go from raw datasets to clean data to impactful visualisations and dashboards. |
5. Digital Marketing
In an increasingly digital world, knowledge of digital marketing strategies can be a career game-changer. Courses in digital marketing cover topics like SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, and online advertising. Understanding digital marketing can help you reach broader audiences and promote your brand effectively, regardless of your industry. Listed below are some of the best digital marketing courses to help you upskill.
| Course Name |
Description |
| Fundamentals of digital marketing by Google |
This free certification course by Google helps learners explore important concepts and strategies through practical exercises and real-world examples. Learn skills such as business strategy, content marketing, email marketing, display advertising, analytics, and data insights. |
| Google Ads Certifications by Google |
Google Ads Certifications is a series of free Google Ads courses that will help you master Google Ads by getting certified in Search, Display, Video, Shopping Ads, Apps and Measurement. |
| Google Ads Display Certification by Google |
Validate your expertise using Google Display to deliver results that get the most from your display advertising investment. Learn how to develop effective Display strategies and campaigns that achieve specific marketing goals. By earning the Google Ads Display Certification, Google recognises your ability to translate a vision for online marketing into a coherent digital marketing strategy. |
| Digital Marketing Specialization by Coursera |
This specialisation course offers seven online digital marketing courses that teach you practical marketing skills. In this beginner-level course, you will be introduced to different aspects of the new digital marketing environment. You will understand the digital marketing landscape deeply and acquire new skills to create, distribute, and promote products and services digitally. |
6. Project Management
Project management skills are valuable in various roles and industries. Courses in project management methodologies such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or Agile can equip you with the skills to plan, execute, and oversee projects efficiently. Effective project management ensures that tasks are completed on time, within budget, and to the desired quality standards. Consider taking these project management courses to learn more about project management.
| Course Name |
Rating |
Description |
| Foundations of Project Management by Coursera |
4.9 (74,162+ reviews) |
This course is the first in a series of six to equip you with the skills you need to apply to introductory-level roles in project management. |
| Google Project Management: Professional Certificate by Google |
4.8 (91,888 reviews) |
This program qualifies you for over 100 hours of project management education, which helps prepare you for Project Management Institute Certifications like the globally-recognized Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®. |
| Basics of Scrum by Great Learning |
4.55 (2600+ Learners) |
The course covers Scrum principles, emphasising collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement. Learners will also discover how Scrum helps teams to deliver quality products that meet customer needs. The course covers the Scrum process: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective. |
| Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management by Coursera |
4.7 (9,372+ reviews) |
This is an introductory course on the key concepts of planning and executing projects. Learn to identify factors that lead to project success, and learn how to plan, analyse, and manage projects. Learners will be exposed to state-of-the-art methodologies and consider the challenges of various types of projects. |
Tips to Improve Your Skills
Improving your technical skills should be an ongoing process. If you want to continue growing, you should never be satisfied with your level of proficiency or knowledge. Keep practising and working on your skills. Don't let them rust or become obsolete.
1. Seek Genuine Feedback
A self-assessment of your abilities may not be as accurate as you think. To remove any biased perceptions from your path:
- Talk to friends, family, and colleagues and ask what skills they would recommend you improve.
- Try to understand if your self-assessment is aligned with others' perceptions of you.
- If they are not, try to understand why.
Depending on their answers, you can classify the skills you need to improve.
2. Accept Criticism and Suggestions
The only way to improve your technical skills is to learn. Therefore, you should be open to suggestions and criticism. Please don't take them as a personal attack; try not to contradict them. Instead, listen to what others have to say and deliberate on it. Analyse any criticism and suggestions logically and see if they make a valid point.
3. Practice…
Practice makes perfect. If you want to become proficient at anything, even a specific skill, you must continually train it. Participate in situations where you need to use the skills you want to improve.
You can also sign up for courses and workshops.
4. Set Goals and Monitor Your Progress
Creating a plan, setting goals, and tracking your progress will help you stay motivated. It will also allow you to check if you are on the right path or need to adjust your plan and find different strategies to achieve your goal.
5. Observe and Listen To Others
Look around you and find people who perceive you as good at the skills you want to develop. It could be a family member, a friend, a coworker, an expert in your field, or even an influencer. Watch how they do it and try to emulate their skills. Listen to what they say and learn from them.
6. Expand Your Network
Expanding your network is essential, even if you're not looking to improve your social skills. Meeting and getting to know a broad group of people will expose you to new perspectives, knowledge, attitudes and ways of thinking. These connections can also lead to new opportunities and career options better suited to your current set of technical skills.
In a Nutshell
Non-technical skills are crucial for career growth. Investing in courses and training to develop these skills can make you a well-rounded professional capable of tackling challenges, leading effectively, and adapting to the ever-changing workplace demands. Continuous learning and development in technical and non-technical areas are crucial to staying competitive and thriving in your career.
FAQs - Non-technical skills
Why are non-technical skills important for career growth?
Non-technical skills complement technical expertise and are essential for building relationships, collaborating effectively, communicating clearly, and adapting to change. These skills help you excel in any role and are highly sought after by employers.
How can I develop my non-technical skills?
To develop your non-technical skills, you must -
- Seek opportunities to use and practice the skills. Volunteer, participate in team activities, and take on new challenges.
- Network with professionals. Learn from others and ask for feedback.
- Enroll in courses or workshops, gain knowledge and practical skills.
- Engage in self-reflection, evaluate progress and set goals for improvement.
Are non-technical skills equally important across all industries?
While specific non-technical skills may be more emphasized in certain industries, the core principles of communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability are valuable across all fields.
How long does it take to develop strong non-technical skills?
Skill development is a continuous process that requires dedication and practice. The timeframe varies depending on your individual learning pace and the specific skills you focus on.
Can I learn non-technical skills informally?
Absolutely! You can learn these skills through everyday experiences, self-directed learning, and actively seeking opportunities to apply them in real-world situations.
Will developing non-technical skills guarantee career success?
While non-technical skills are essential for career success, other factors like technical expertise, experience, and network contribute significantly. However, investing in these skills undoubtedly increases your chances of achieving your career goals.
Rashmi is a postgraduate in Biotechnology with a flair for research-oriented work and has an experience of over 13 years in content creation and social media handling. She has a diversified writing portfolio and aim... Read Full Bio
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