I’m thrilled to share this guest post from Career Karma with you! Career Karma is passionate about helping people switch careers from non-tech fields to tech jobs to acquire new skills and obtain higher salaries. This is especially relevant during COVID-19 when thousands have lost their jobs and many are considering a career move!

There are so many new technologies available for small businesses that it may seem impossible to stay up to date with the trends. By the time a piece of technology is integrated into a business, it often feels obsolete. Learning tech skills while managing people, production and revenue is a daunting task. An important skill for leaders is to first discern which aspects of technology are worth adopting. This can be difficult in the current volatile economic landscape caused by Covid-19.

As the leader of an organization, there is a lot on your plate. While it may not be feasible to learn all of the following skills, it can help to know the basics and to delegate some tasks to a team member. Building these skills and developing plans to incorporate them into your organization can increase your company's output and organization. Small alterations to your current business practices can have a profound impact.

IT Management

Every day, a new app, innovation, or piece of hardware targeting businesses is released. They advertise benefits to customers, companies, and productivity. There is often a lot of noise and there isn’t always an option to try the new technology before purchasing it. Even though many products are beneficial, their Software as a Service (SaaS) model is nickel-and-diming small businesses.

To combat the temptation to continually add new services or technology to your business, develop an IT strategy without the help of salespeople. Identify the needs of your company and which services would be the most beneficial. Depending on your organization's size, you may need to hire a computer systems analyst to troubleshoot current issues and determine the best technologies for your company. The right IT plan can improve your employees' efficiency, allowing them to cut back on time-consuming computer tasks. Your employees will likely know the types of services they want or which current services they aren’t using.

Data Analytics

All of your technology services generate thousands of data points. Some of the data points might seem useless alone but may provide valuable insight when paired with correlating data. Understanding the data is difficult if it isn’t organized. Training yourself or your employees in SQL or data processing languages can help your nonprofit or business capitalize on unseen trends. SQL, or structured query language, is used for communicating with databases to retrieve specific pieces of information. You can learn SQL in a short timeframe. Learning more advanced data analysis skills can unlock new avenues to serve your community. 

Communication

Communication might not seem like a tech skill, but current times are forcing more communication to happen virtually rather than in person. There is also a rash of new communication tools that can be difficult to navigate due to their added features, unique interfaces, and integrated programs. It may seem ridiculous to take an in-depth tutorial for a messaging service, but getting the most out of your company’s messaging service will help maintain clear and consistent communication. 

SEO Skills

One of the most difficult aspects of any organization is the ability to reach relevant audiences. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, can help. The science behind SEO is messy and there are dozens of different methodologies, theories, and practices that claim to increase your ranking on Google or other search engines. Having a basic SEO strategy in place is a simple way to multiply your company’s efforts online. There are plenty of free resources to increase your SEO. If the time or skillset is out of your scope, there are plenty of freelancers who specialize as SEO experts. 

Trade Schools Are a Good Place to Find Dedicated Tech Workers

A great way to help your community is to hire tech workers from local trade schools or community colleges. The community-based education centers are helping local residents attain jobs within their community. Partnering with the schools can build your organization's reach and establish a stronger relationship with your community. 

Trade schools and coding bootcamps allow students to quickly learn a skill they will be able to apply in the workplace. They often cost less than a traditional four-year university and can have major positive impacts on individuals and their families. 

Staying Up To Date Can Be Hard

New technology is released so frequently that it can be hard to keep up. Focus on staying on top of a few skills that give you the biggest results, but understand that you can’t be an expert at everything. Leverage your team and community to fill in the gaps of your knowledge.