4 Skills That Make You More Attractive as an Independent Professional in 2022

Recruitment and talent retention are two major focusses for all organisations in 2022 amidst numerous reports, surveys and data indicating that a high percentage of professionals in the Irish workforce will look for a new role this year.

With this in mind, we have studied numerous reports from leading publications and derived a list of the four most prevalent skills that will result in you becoming a ‘must retain’ candidate, or furthermore, make you a more attractive acquisition to a new client or recruitment agency.

To help prepare for either scenario, we have linked relevant courses on our iPerks platform that will offer flexible learning to suit your schedule and ensure that you remain on trend with the latest ‘must haves’ for upcoming opportunities.

Cybersecurity

It is no secret that cyber-security and the importance of having an effective cyber-security plan is becoming more prevalent.
In 2020, the cost of ransomware attacks alone on the Irish economy surpassed €2 billion, including ransoms paid as well as indirect costs such as infrastructure and IT bills, as well as reputational damage.

New research conducted by Magnet+ has found, that one in five Irish businesses have yet to put a cyber security policy in place to protect their business.
The data, which was collected to examine Irish businesses' current attitude toward network security, revealed that half of Irish businesses have not implemented an email security solution. This is despite that close to 25% of businesses consider email attacks to be the greatest cyber security threat to their business.
We’re not suggesting that every independent professional needs to become qualified in all areas of cybersecurity, but we are recommending a basic understanding of the topic.
Adding a certification that proves your ability to highlight attacks and take appropriate action where necessary could impact your daily rate or at the bare minimum, show your initiative and an understanding the risks associated.

iPerks – Cybersecurity courses here.

 

Low Code/No Code

What is low code? For any readers that are not familiar or working in the information technology/design space, low-code development removes complexity from building great, modern business apps and is tipped to experience major growth.
According to Gartner, by 2024, low code will account for 65 percent of all software development activity.
Similarly, according to a NASSCOM report, which is derived on the Indian IT sector, the low code no code market generated around USD 400 million in revenue for Indian IT service providers and start-ups and is expected close to USD 4.2 billion by 2025.
If you are proficient in design or coding, you will already be capable of this in your sleep but maybe it appeals to enter the market for additional low hanging fruit?
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed more companies toward LCNC technologies as the digital transformation accelerated. Given that these enable users to create custom applications for data collection, design workflows, and set up unique rules to propel their businesses forward while being low maintenance, start-ups and companies are flocking to engage with talent skilled in these areas.
If you are a graduate looking for an entry or opportunity, or perhaps someone that would like to enter the Information Technology sector without a background in computer science or other relevant experience, this low-code course may be an ideal way to dip your toe, without making a splash in terms of commitment or cost!

iPerks – Low Code Development here.

Change Management

Name an organisation that hasn’t needed an element of change management in the modern era, and I’ll show you a business that more likely, no longer exists.

Every organisation is being forced to become more agile, flexible, socially responsible, economically cautious and the list of demands goes on and on.
Effective change management is not a sole skill to conquer but instead coupled with your existing expertise, the understanding of what is required in effective change management could highlight a niche for you to explore.

Indeed.com identify effective communication, active listening, research, analytics amongst other skills as areas that will improve your change management expertise and as a result, present an opportunity to offer additional services.
Many of our clientele will already possess many of the required skills required for effective change management and demonstrate many of these soft skills on a regular basis delivering projects.

The ever-increasing requirement for organisations to remain agile is here to stay and as a result, effective change management will be an increasingly sought-after skill set.

iPerks – Introduction to Transformation.

Data Science

Data is at the heart of the majority of 21^st century business decisions and is increasingly relied upon to identify opportunities, weaknesses and where existing processes can be improved upon.

Glassdoor.com show that the number of data science job openings has been on a constant rise. In 2022, there’s a 70% increase in comparison to the number of data science related roles in 2021 already and as the market has proven time and time again, when demand increases, rates do too.
Data science in itself is a very broad topic, with over ten different roles falling under the category heading ranging from database administrator and data analyst to statistician and data architects.

iPerks gives independent professionals a variety of core subjects to familiarise themselves with should it be an appealing topic or path to those who are seeking an emerging market to get involved with.

iPerks – Introduction to Data Science

If you are currently considering your options and interested in exploring the benefits associated with contracting as an Independent Professional, reach out to our friendly team of experts who will be happy to advise further. You can contact the team here, or by calling, 01-8077106.

Likewise, if you are currently an Independent Professional that would like to hear more about iPerks or the other value added services offered by Icon Accounting – please get in touch.