What Are Hybrid Roles and How to Get One?

The rise of hybrid roles in today’s job market is accelerating quickly without any sign of slowing down. Today’s top companies are looking for resumes that offer more to their roles than the traditional candidates.

Hybrid roles are positions that require multiple skills for the job, such as technology and people skills. Employers are no longer impressed with candidates who have college degrees alone – they are asking for more. According to a 2016 Bentley University report, hybrid jobs are among the fastest-growing and best careers—more than 250,000 positions were open in 2015 alone, and the numbers have grown since.

Aside from training for your industry, you should also learn different skill sets that could accompany the needs of the industry. Here are some skills that you should think about strengthening when you are looking to get a hybrid role.

Writing skills.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 73.4% of employers want a candidate with strong written communication skills. Writing is an essential aspect of most industries, whether it be communication over email, webpage copy, or product description. As businesses continue to move into more tech-based communication like email and texting, hiring strong writers is a need that companies can’t afford to go without.

Understanding and using SEO.

Just like writing skills are becoming more essential, Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is also a rising need in candidates. In order to grow, companies need to have a team of people who understand how to upgrade their online presence so they can pop-up higher on search engines like Google and Bing, as well as on social media platforms like Facebook. Having experience with SEO helps you to really stand out to hiring managers, and also helps you become more essential to a team.

Social skills.

Knowing how to communicate with other people—in person and through email – is an essential skill for any job. People with strong social skills are more likely to be able to communicate ideas clearly, influence others, and build effective relationships with co-workers.

Coding.

There’s a reason that learning to code is trendy now—it’s useful. Computer literacy is not enough in the digital age where everyone knows how to work with Google applications. Coding opens up so many job opportunities, especially at startups where they need people who are able to help build the company in multiple aspects. Literacy in coding can also help you understand other aspects of technology, gives you more of an edge when building websites, and above all it makes your job application stand out, especially if you are in a field where coding is not an expected skill.

Upgrade your skill set.

If you are looking to shift careers or obtain a higher-paying job, upgrading your skill set may be the way to go. There are short-term certificate programs that you can take online to learn new skills. Websites like Hubspot Academy and Skillshare are also excellent places to learn the basics or more advanced skills of different topics.

This article was written by Carlee Nilphai.

Carlee Nilphai is a freelance writer based in Lancaster, PA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Print Journalism from Millersville University in 2019.