Novice to Expert: Developing Specialized Skills in Your Field

Working in marketing, leading a team of engineers, and selling business-to-business (B2B) software—what do these have in common? They all require a specific skill set to be successful in each respective role. However, formal education won’t teach every essential job skill and competency, making the hiring process difficult for candidates and employers alike.

According to Business News Daily, several companies are spending $800,000 or more each year looking for qualified candidates. The issue that employers are running into is that many candidates lack the specialized skills required to competently perform the role; this is commonly referred to as a skills gap.

As the job market continues to evolve and the requirements for certain roles become more demanding, addressing the skills gap is essential for candidates who wish to stand out to employers. Once candidates understand what specialized skills are, why they’re important, and the best methods of developing them, such as through continuing education, they’ll increase their chances of checking all the right boxes with potential employers and realizing their professional goals.

What Are Specialized Skills?

Specialized skills are the abilities, talents, or competencies an individual has that are relevant to a specific job role or industry. For example, a person in a managerial role should have delegation and leadership skills since they’ll be leading and overseeing a team. A person working as a graphic designer should be highly proficient in using the most relevant graphic design programs. A person working in pharmaceutical sales should have a specialized aptitude for medical sales and knowledge of the specific rules and regulations that apply to that industry.

Qualities of specialized skills include the following:

Possessing a technical aptitude, such as hydraulic engineering or C++ programming
Being able to communicate in a way that’s captivating or influential, such as in sales or leadership roles
Knowing how to use a specific tool or program, such as Salesforce or Google Analytics
Possessing specialized competencies, such as critical thinking and problem-solving

What separates a specialized skill from a standard or transferable skill is its specificity. For example, problem-solving is an in-demand skill, but it’s broad and vague without context. Every industry has problems; however, not all problem-solvers can work in any industry. By comparison, problem-solving supply chain issues for a logistics company is a specialized skill because it’s in the context of a certain industry. The candidate should have a background in resolving issues that are specific to supply chains; this is what makes the skill specialized.

Why Is Specialized Skill Development Important?

Specialized skill development is an essential part of any career roadmap. It not only ensures that candidates have the necessary competencies required to be effective in the roles, but also helps employers find qualified individuals on a tighter turnaround and reduces employee onboarding and training time.

Other reasons why specialized skill development is important include the following:

Adds value to the candidate’s profile
Ensures that the candidate knows how to perform the most essential parts of their role
Offsets the skills gap that’s challenging many employers
Enables employers to fill positions quicker
Shortens the candidate’s learning curve for acclimating to a new position
Improves productivity and performance while mitigating errors

The Importance of Strong Soft Skills

Specialized skills are clearly important for roles that require a specific aptitude, knowledge, or ability; however, the value of strong soft skills can’t be overstated. Soft skills are intangible aptitudes that promote harmony and productivity in the workplace.

Unlike specialized skills, soft skills apply to any industry and can help elevate employee morale and person-to-person interaction. Below are examples of in-demand soft skills.

Communication and Interpersonal Abilities

Exceptional communicators do more than convey information effectively. They’re active listeners who consider tone, body language, and the subtle nuances of how a person is speaking to them. They also know how to communicate with their coworkers in a way that fosters collaboration and a healthy working relationship.

Emotional Intelligence

Human beings are emotional creatures; however, the workplace is not a place for anger and hostility. When negative emotions come out while on the job, it can compromise relationships with coworkers, managers, and clients. Furthermore, employees who can’t control their emotions may be viewed as unstable or irrational; this is why emotional intelligence is one of the most desired soft skills among employers. Also known as emotional quotient, emotional intelligence is the ability to manage one’s emotions and remain calm and collected, especially when under duress.

Leadership

Leadership soft skills are essential for managers and executives, as they largely determine how productive their workforce is and if company goals are met. The most common leadership skills include the following:

Self-assurance
Integrity
Accountability
Empathy
Ability to motivate and inspire

Professional Soft Skills

Professional soft skills make an employee easy to work with and effective in their role and include the following:

Attentiveness
Patience
Organization
Punctuality
Adaptability
Team player

Tips for Developing Specialized Skills

If a candidate is deficient in a certain specialized skill, the good news is several affordable and convenient ways to upskill are available. The following are common ways to develop a specialized skill or competency:

Read industry publications written by subject matter experts.
Speak with resident subject matter experts within the organization.
Seek out training opportunities offered by professional organizations.
Seek out educational opportunities with academic institutions.
Find relevant online learning or certificate programs.
Attend a boot camp or an intensive devoted to teaching specialized skills.
Attend relevant webinars and seminars.
Find an internship program that offers on-the-job training.

Elevate Your Career Profile with an Online Certificate

When developing a specialized skill, candidates should remember that most organizations don’t expect to hire an expert; however, they do expect a certain level of training and experience. Candidates who demonstrate that they’ve put in the effort to learn the essential skills and competencies of the role usually stand out to potential employers.

Professional certificates showcase a candidate’s experience within a certain industry or training in a specialized skill. Students who are interested in learning more about how to elevate their professional profile should explore the benefits of attending Suffolk University’s Center for Continuing & Professional Education (CCPE) certificate programs. The 100% online programs provide an affordable and convenient way to upskill in ten weeks or less in industries such as legal, marketing, business, and design.

Learn more about the programs, so you can see how they’ll support your professional aspirations and career goals.

Recommended Readings

Digitally Transformed or Digitally Doomed: Embrace the Techvolution

How to Build an Inclusive Workplace Culture

Legal Technology: Trends and Case Studies

Sources:

Business News Daily, “The Skills Gap Is Costing Businesses Dearly”

FlexJobs, “15 Transferable Skills That Companies Want: Examples and Definitions”

Forbes, “12 Ways to Develop and Sharpen Professional Skills Outside of Work”

Indeed, “15 Types of Professional Soft Skills (With Definitions)”

Indeed, “5 Essential Soft Skills in the Workplace”

LinkedIn, “How Insufficient Training Can Lead to Failures at Work”