Employability Skills in Dotcom World

According to Oxford’s new research, 47% of jobs will disappear in the next 25 years. One of the key drivers for this change is technology. The growth of E-commerce is creating a huge shift in business towards .com. Malls across the world are seeing reduced footfall. By 2020, the global E-commerce market will fetch revenues of four trillion dollars. This change means that many job positions will not be necessary anymore. Instead, there will be new job positions, and the existing jobs will move in the online direction, pushing people towards different skill sets in order to adjust to the market.

 

While head-hunting primarily in CPG, Retail and Pharma, we see a huge demand in these sectors for talent with E-commerce skillsets. These are not just programming or IT skills; Data Analytics and E-commerce skills are now desired for most of Sales and Marketing, Logistics & Fulfillment, Planning and even Manufacturing roles. Being able to analyze data in order to anticipate consumer behaviour, improve consumer experience and increase revenue and profitability is critical.

With this shift in the marketplace, candidates have to ensure that their employability skills are up to date. There are certain ways to ensure that you are acquiring skills for the future – being proactive is the baseline for all three.

 

1. Internal Opportunities

The best way to acquire these skills is by moving internally into E-commerce teams. We’ve also seen some candidates, especially in North America, take a cut in level to move into the online business a few years ago. They have now surpassed their peers not just within the organization but also in the industry. The pace of growth for these teams have been much faster in the last 5 years. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Ask for these projects internally and if the organization doesn’t have initiatives, perhaps it’s time for you to take a lead.

 

2. External Opportunities

A recent report by HSBC suggests India alone will create 12 million new jobs by 2025. While considering an external move, a role with Brick and Click part of the business will enhance your career progression. A lot of e-tailing companies don’t ask for prior experience. For example, one of our CPG clients was open to bringing in talent without previous experience in E-commerce. Problem Solving skills, curiosity, and motivation to learn is what companies are most interested in.

 

3. Personal Initiatives

Taking online courses could be an option, but as Albert Einstein said: “The only source of knowledge is experience”. We live in a world where if the opportunity doesn’t present itself, it’s relatively easier to create one than looking for one. Launching personal projects and taking the initiative to learn by yourself will ensure that you are acquiring some relevant skill sets and experience. Some candidates we know of have launched their own boutique online shop while having a full-time job to gain more experience in the online marketplace.

 

Interestingly, half of today’s jobs didn’t exist 25 years ago. The pace of change in the 21st century is much faster. At Loftus Bradford, we embrace change and make sure our candidates understand that there is never change without opportunity, so go ahead and make it your opportunity.