Want to know the top skills for the 2018 job market and whether you’re a match? Look no further than LinkedIn’s top skills list for 2018. No brainer: “Computer stuff” tops the chart for the third straight year with Cloud and Distributed Computing and Statistical Analysis and Data Mining, in the #1 and #2 hottest hard skills, respectively. If you’re a computer nerd, you’re in luck.

I found out something interesting today while talking to a fellow career coach, Ramon Santillan, Jr. He specializes in helping people on the autism and Asperger’s scales, who have high levels of intelligence, get jobs at big tech and engineering firms. The skills in demand in the market might match well to some of their capabilities.

What’s new on the 2018 top skills list is that LinkedIn has expanded into soft skills. Topping that list are Leadership and Communication, which for good reason are the personal attributes most in demand by employers today. One of my favorite places to increase both of those skills is the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential. Let me know if you want information about their trainings in leadership and social and emotional intelligence.

LinkedIn’s List of Top Skills for 2018

Soft Skills

1. Leadership: You may have heard that you’re always leading. It’s just a matter of toward what. Companies are looking for leaders who support and motivate the people around them, delegate vs. micromanage, assert themselves appropriately, and take swift action, all in service of organizational goals.
2. Communication: Good communication includes such important skills as good use of language both in speech and in writing, speaking up when something needs to be discussed, following direction, asking the appropriate level of questions, following proper communication procedures, and more.
3. Collaboration: Working with a team and having good give and take makes you a valued employee.
4. Time Management: Meeting deadlines, being realistic about workload, and being able to prioritize projects are all essential to being a great team member. And so is communicating when things don’t go as expected.

Hard Skills

I have less to say about the hard skills. They are all technology based and of tremendous importance for companies today, for obvious reasons. Here’s a breakdown of what’s hot and what’s a little less hot as we head into 2018.

1. Cloud and Distributed Computing: This skill has been #1 since it made its debut on the top 20 list in 2016.
2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining: Bumped out of the #1 spot when Cloud and Distributed Computing showed up, this skill has been holding at #2 for three years straight.
3. Middleware and Integration Software: Has remained in the top 5 since 2015.
4. Web Architecture and Development Framework: Steadily rising, but down one from the #3 spot this year.
5. User Interface Design: This skill started at #14 in 2015, moved up to #10 in 2016, and remains at #5 for 2017 and 2018.
6. Software Revision Control System: Welcome to the top 10!
7. Data Presentation: In the top 10 for the last two years, this skill is up one from #8 to #7.
8. SEO/SEM Marketing: Maybe people are losing faith in SEO, or figuring out how to do it themselves. This skill has dropped from the #4 and #5 spots it held in previous years.
9. Mobile Development: Here I was thinking companies still needed people to develop apps. But mobile development has dropped steadily for the last three years, from #6 to #7 to #9 – could this be the last year for this skill?
10. Network and Information Security: Similar to Mobile Development, this one has been flirting with the #6 and higher spot for 3 years, but dropped this year. I can’t believe there won’t be a continuing strong need for this skill.

LinkedIn’s List of Best Jobs for 2018

Want to know what jobs some of these hard and soft skills will get you? The list compiled by LinkedIn below includes positions with “high median salaries, strong job openings, and year-over-year growth.” The jobs are also projected to be most likely to lead to advancement within an organization.

1. Engagement Lead
2. Software Engineering Manager
3. Customer Success Manager
4. Solutions Architect
5. Sales Director
6. Engineering Manager
7. Program Manager
8. Product Manager
9. Data Scientist
10. Enterprise Account Manager
11. Technical Program Manager
12. Financial Analyst
13. Data Engineer
14. Frontend Engineer
15. Site Reliability Engineer
16. Finance Director
17. Strategic Account Manager
18. Pharmacist
19. Hospitalist
20. Medical Director

For detail on each position, including median salary, career advancement rating, and the top skills for each, read LinkedIn’s Most Promising Jobs 2018.

How do your hard skills and soft skills line up with the in-demand skills for 2018? If the hard skills diverge from yours, not to worry. There are plenty of jobs that don’t require you do have computer skills beyond MS Office Suite. But the soft skills are important no matter what you do. If you know you could use substantial improvement in those areas, it might be time to take steps toward educating yourself!

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To view LinkedIn’s Top skills lists from previous years:

• The 25 Skills That Can Get You Hired in 2016
• LinkedIn Unveils The Top Skills That Can Get You Hired In 2017

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