Adjacent skills can be a major driver of one’s career prospects

Experts say that developing adjacent skills also leads to other benefits such as increased empathy for teammates, better communication, improved motivation, developing a distinctive viewpoint, etc. (Representative image)

In today’s employment landscape, roles and requirements have undergone a massive overhaul. Recruiters don’t just look for a specific skill and hire candidates. They focus on candidates who have multiple skills relevant in this rapidly changing world.

Nowadays, candidates need to have comb-shaped skillsets (I_I_I_I_I_I), which means that one has to be good in one primary skill and have more than one secondary skill related to one’s current job.

Talent experts say the importance of adjacent skills is most often seen in high-productivity roles.

IT major Infosys, apart from hiring for specific skills, also focuses on adjacent skills. “If someone has to be hired for AI, we look for someone who already has big data and related skills,” said Thirumala Arohi Mamunooru, SVP and Head of Education, Training, and Assessments (ETA) at Infosys.

Experts say that developing adjacent skills also leads to other benefits such as increased empathy for teammates, better communication, improved motivation, developing a distinctive viewpoint,  etc.

Besides,  adjacent skills can increase a candidate’s employability and help command a premium in the job market. For instance, in the ESG (environmental, social and governance) function, besides qualifications, adjacent skills and experience related to health and safety, environment, compliance, and sustainability are highly relevant, according to a report by Xpheno, a staffing solutions firm.

“People who add on to their skills and evolve with changing trends tend to grow more in terms of roles and salaries,” said Anil Agarwal, CEO & Co-Founder of interview-as-a-service) platform InCruiter.

Managing and visualising data

Digital skills provide workers with a foundation of transferable skills that are in demand across industries, said Raghav Gupta, MD, India and APAC, Coursera, an edtech platform.

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Coursera’s Fastest Growing Job Skills of 2022 report showed that managing and visualising data is a skillset that’s now required across industries.

“As automation leads to increased volumes of workplace data, how that data is shared, presented, and analysed is of growing importance to all businesses, functions, and levels,” Gupta said.

Gupta added that data is no longer the preserve of data scientists and techies. “Whether a marketer or a product manager, building data-centric skills can be invaluable to further one’s career.”

Not just MBA, it's MBA+

Employers will continue to focus on upskilling their workforce for enhanced productivity and business outcomes, edtech experts pointed out.

Higher education platform upGrad’s online MBA programs are meant to develop adjacent abilities like communication skills, strategic thinking and planning, an analytical mindset, leadership skills, and critical thinking.

Adjacent skills continue to develop with experience, which eventually allows professionals to drive growth through unconventional business solutions, said Phalgun Kompalli, Co-Founder, upGrad.

“With the combination of an MBA along with adjacent skills, candidates can stand out in the job market,” he added.

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Other popular adjacent skills within the MBA domain include data analysis, digital marketing, financial modelling, explained Kompalli.

Coding

In software, the adjacent skills in demand are fluency in languages such as Java, .NET, and Python, being able to work on artificial intelligence, data analytics, etc., as per talent development company NIIT Digital.

Abhishek Arora, EVP and Business Head, NIIT, said that during the interview process, candidates with a well-rounded set of skills will easily shine through.

“This is one of the key benefits of a well-rounded set of skills and will make you stand out from others who do not possess similar skills,” he added.

However, candidates should not mislead interviewers about capabilities they do not possess, Arora warned. Also, he said adjacent skills should not take away focus from the core skills. “The skill sets should be presented in a way to showcase that you are a master of one and jack of other relevant skills.”

Adjacent skills in product management

Manikanth Challa, Founder and CEO of recruitment platform Workruit, says that product management is one role that requires multiple skills. As product manager, not only is one expected to know the lifecycle of one’s product, for example, but also possess adjacent skills, like an understanding of UI and UX design, being able to prepare quick wireframes, and low and high-fidelity app prototype design using certain tools.

“This won’t take away your eye from your key role as product manager, but may help you understand and direct your vision as better,” he said.

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In digital marketing, some of the popular adjacent skills Workruit sees are in the fields of content writing, design and illustration, project management, etc.

“It is important for one to know also how these skills can be utilised to increase productivity and efficiency and achieve milestones faster,” Challa added.

Soft skills

KA Alagarsamy, Director, Consortium for Technical Education (CTE), said that companies often seek out candidates with transferable skills like people management, problem-solving, mathematical aptitude, attention to detail, and the ability to build relationships with team members.

He added that the key performance areas (KPAs) or key result areas (KRAs) for the job can help determine whether a candidate should focus on primary skills or adjacent skills.

``Generally, interviewers tend to prioritise primary skills and view adjacent skills as secondary. However, this can vary depending on the specific needs of the company and the role,’’ Alagarsamy explained.

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