Are you wondering how to get unstuck and advance your career? Gaining some new skills is just what you need. Keep reading for eight marketable skills to help you land a better job!
As someone who made the transition to a full-time work at home employee the better part of a decade ago, I can’t rave enough about the benefits for my overall sense of well-being and mental health — not to mention the financial savings from not having to commute to my workplace or shell out for a spendy business casual wardrobe that makes me feel like I’m cosplaying as someone else.
But one of the best things about working remotely is the opportunity to use all that extra time I would have spent stuck in traffic honing my skills to land better job opportunities. In just a few short years, I’ve significantly expanded my professional skill set simply by using internet resources to develop the most in-demand skills for my profession — which means more and better job options and higher pay overall.
If you love working from home but feel like you’re stuck in a professional rut or you’d just love to earn more money, here’s a list of marketable skills you can teach yourself so you can increase your earning potential and start landing the much better jobs we both know you deserve.
1. Social Media Marketing
The need for professionals to have a strong grasp of social media concepts is almost as much of a given these days as the ability to answer a phone when I first started working. However, experience with social media marketing is one of those more advanced skill sets that intersect well with many jobs.
In my work as a résumé writer, I’ve seen the ability to promote engagement across multiple platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter (X), Facebook, and YouTube and understand social media insights give candidates a competitive edge in retail jobs, administrative assistant roles, and even museum positions. If you have a strong aptitude for social media engagement and creativity in digital marketing, you might even consider building your own social media business from home.
2. Content Creation
Before transitioning to my current work from home lifestyle, I worked full-time as an educator with limited experience as a freelance print writer and blogger. I knew I wanted to write full-time, so I set out to teach myself the basics of online content creation.
I started by actively seeking out the types of websites I wanted to write for and watching lots of YouTube creators with insight into the world of online content creation. Once I felt I had a firm grasp on the format, I began developing my own samples. To stand out against the ocean of cheap content mill writing out there, I knew I had to make sure my writing exemplified hard skills like proofreading, research, and content marketing — all high employability skills I continue to refine today.
Related content: How to Break Into Freelance Writing and Work Remotely
3. Search Engine Optimization
If you’re involved in any kind of content creation or online marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the top skills to learn. Put simply, SEO refers to the best practices needed to drive traffic to a website and kick up a website in search engine rankings. This includes concepts like targeted internal links and keywords, for example.
Not only is SEO one of the easiest tech skills to learn, but you can find tons of free information about SEO best practices from content creators on YouTube and social media websites.
4. Video Creation
If you’re going to be working with social media management, video editing is one of the transferable skills that could put you in the lead with potential employers. And while video editing is a more advanced skill, it’s also one of those technical skills that pays to develop.
If you don’t have any experience at all in video content creation, you could start by diving headfirst into a platform like CapCut or checking out some online tutorials. You can also find video editing courses available for free online through many public libraries. Or take things a step further and invest in a paid online course.
5. Basic Web Development
You don’t have to graduate with a degree in visual design to get a basic grasp of website development. Platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace all make it super easy to create a website, a skill that can come in handy in any number of roles.
As a professional content writer, I’ve often needed to interface with WordPress and Wix to complete a project. I’ve seen this skill come in handy for friends in retail and nonprofit roles as well. And like video editing, this is an area where it could definitely pay off to invest in a paid course.
6. Project Management Skills
For remote workers looking for higher-paid jobs, project management is one of the most profitable skills you can invest in. It’s the backbone of remote management jobs, like that of my good friend, who works remotely in an accounting leadership role.
Unlike something like content creation and other skills that can be self-taught pretty easily, project management entails a wide range of both hard and soft skills, incorporating things like leadership skills, teamwork, emotional intelligence, adaptability, conflict resolution, and the resilience to shoulder the responsibilities of an entire project. Coursera offers a variety of paid and free courses in project management if you want to learn more.
8. Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis
No matter what line of work you’re in, I can’t advocate enough for the value of understanding how to work with and integrate artificial intelligence. My experience as an AI trainer with DataAnnotation Tech has led to a number of job offers based on my background as a freelance writer and data analyst.
While my job mainly consists of chatting with bots to help them model (or avoid) specific behaviors, working with AI regularly has helped me develop an understanding of how large language models (LLMs) work, including their many potential applications and limitations.
Based on my own experience and conversations I’ve had with colleagues, more employers are beginning to integrate machine learning as a productivity tool, and they’re looking for workers who understand how to use AI judiciously with critical thinking to identify misinformation or other problems.
Where to Hone Your Skills
To reiterate what I’ve already touched on, how you find information to help you refine your professional skill set may vary depending on what you’re trying to learn. Some skills, like SEO and content writing, are easy to learn through free online courses or YouTube content. And there are plenty of high-income skills that are better suited for something like a paid Coursera course.
I also can’t overemphasize the value of watching TikTok or YouTube videos that help refine soft skills like problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
Marketable Skills to Power Up Your Resume
If you’re unsure where to start on your skill-building journey, start with something small and actionable. Even better, try scoping out LinkedIn profiles of folks with job tiles you’d like to have and create your own employability skills career bucket list. Finally, don’t forget to add every new skill to your resume and LinkedIn page.
Do you have any favorite DIY professional development tools? Let me know in the comments, and good luck on your professional learning journey!
