5 hard skills to improve in 2023
If you’re looking to impress on your CV, it’s important to keep your hard skills up to date. While soft skills and your employment history remain important, demonstrating that your skillset is continually evolving is a major plus for any employer. Plus, your hard skills are going to be what gives your CV an edge over the competition.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at 5 hard skills to improve in 2023, so you can land the teaching job of your dreams – whether it be as a primary school teacher or within academia. Let’s take a look!
Technology skills
As technology advances, it’s crucial for teachers and educators to stay up-to-date with the latest tools and software available for use both in and outside the classroom. Becoming comfortable with advancing tech will not only improve your teaching methods, but will also make you more attractive to employers. It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with (or better, excel in using) the following technology:
- Microsoft Office (including Word, Powerpoint, and Excel)
- Zoom
- Slack (and similar management systems)
- Google Drive
- RSS Feeds
- Open-source learning platforms (such as Moodle)
Having a high level of tech proficiency makes it easier for your students to communicate their needs, cuts down time spent marking and returning coursework, and makes it easier for students to perform well via hybrid learning. High tech proficiency also makes your CV more attractive to employers, so it's an easy win-win!
Presentation skills
For your students to perform well, it's important for you to be able to present information in a compelling, engaging way. A great way to ensure classroom engagement is by working on your hard presentation skills: whether this means adding visual aids, evolving your teaching methods or simply improving your confidence while addressing the room, good presentation skills go a long way in helping your students better understand their subjects.
There are a number of certified presentation courses that you can take to enhance both your CV and your teaching methods, but you don't always need to take the official course route. Practising your teaching in front of a mirror (or even recording yourself) can both be equally beneficial in honing your presentation skills.
Writing skills
Having a good command of communication skills is key for any teacher or academic, and writing skills are perhaps the most undervalued (yet essential) of all communication skills - especially in an academic setting.
In a digital world, being able to explain yourself clearly via the written word is paramount to your students' success: whether you're leaving feedback on essays, or writing worksheets for exam revision, your writing needs to be concise and clear in order to be effective. Plus, don't forget that working in education or academia often involves a lot of written administration: from report cards to email correspondence, it pays to have your writing skills up-to-scratch.
Resource management
As a teacher, being able to effectively manage classroom resources is essential for positive learning outcomes. It's going to be your job to source, select, analyse and present your educational resources to your students, so you need to be able to determine which resources offer the most value to your students and the syllabus, and use them efficiently to accompany learning.
Improving your resource management skills is an invaluable way to improve your teaching outcomes in the classroom in 2023. Not only will it make it easier for you to adapt your teaching plans to changing circumstances, but planning and allocating the right resources will also offer the best possible learning experience to your students.
To improve your resource management skills, you can take an online course, collaborate with colleagues, or simply allocate more time to researching the best classroom materials for your course. You can also save time and energy by creating templates for lesson plans and resource lists - this will make it easier to replicate successful teaching methods in future classes.
First aid skills
Having certified first-aid training can be a big advantage for any teacher or academic. In general, kids and students are more likely to need first-aid than an adult: from allergic reactions to cuts and grazes, the possibilities of a classroom emergency are ever-present. Being able to act and respond quickly in an emergency situation can make all the difference, and having first aid training is essential knowledge for anyone working with children.
At a minimum, it's recommended that all teachers have basic first aid understanding - but if you want to stand out from the crowd, taking a full, comprehensive course in First Aid is worth considering. Not only will this add another string to your bow on your CV, but it also ensures a safe teaching environment for your students.
About the author
Andrew Fennell
Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of StandOut CV, a leading UK careers advice website. He is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to publications like Business Insider, The Guardian, and The Independent.
