If you’re looking to find greener pastures, this is the time to dig up that good ol’ resume and update it with some new skills. Not sure how else you can jazz it up? Try this—add analytical skills.
The 2022 stats are in: 23% of employees plan to find new jobs. And a whopping 61% of employees expect to leave their current positions within the first half of the year.
This work-culture movement has a name. And it’s called The Great Resignation. But hold up—here’s a chance to call it what it should be—The Great Opportunity.
The best part is that learning analytical skills can primp and prime your resume, regardless of your professional background.
What Are Analytical Skills?
At their core, analytical skills are soft skills that enable you to identify and solve problems. Though they’re not necessarily related to your technical skills, analytical skills are just as important.
Why? Mainly because they’re versatile. What’s more, they come in handy in lots of professional contexts.
Examples of analytical skills
Here are a few analytical skills examples:
- Organization
- Troubleshooting
- Communication
- Budgeting
- Reporting
- Research
- Data analysis
- Diagnostics
- Creativity
- Metrics
- Analyzing
They reflect your professionalism—your ability to use logical reasoning, make informed decisions, and problem-solving. And fun fact: analytical-oriented perception is one of the seven most common (and prized) types of thinking.
Analytical skills also show the recruiters that you have a logical, rational approach to bringing new ideas to life. It also displays how you can deliver creative solutions for any roadblock.
And that is an asset to any company.
Are there benefits to analytical skills?
Leveling up in your personal growth always comes with benefits. As Jim Kwik, trainer of Mindvalley’s Superbrain Quest puts it, “It’s not how smart you are, but how are you smart.”
So here are three perks to becoming a more proficient problem solver:
1. It makes you marketable
If you’ve already got your dream job, that’s awesome. Picking up these skills will help you shine at work and will enable you to get your job done more efficiently, in less time.
But if you’ve yet to secure your dream job, then learning how to improve analytical skills can absolutely help.
A 2022 survey by Zety, the career advice website, asked more than 200 recruiters and hiring managers to find out which skills they value. They found that 61% consider soft skills to be a more important value than hard skills.
So, developing any of the aforementioned analytical skills can be an incredible advantage.
2. It encourages critical thinking
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, critical thinking is the ability to:
- Grasp information
- Identify logical connections
- Solve problems methodically
- Reflect on your ideas as well as the ideas of others objectively.
This requires you to think clearly and logically while being impartial. With critical thinking, you not only have the ability to take what’s good and make it better, but you also know how to take the bad and be able to mitigate, eliminate, or manage it, according to business executive Jay Abraham.
And because you’re coming in without any bias, you’re able to interact with information, experience, and consciousness without being reactive. This can carve a path toward better interpersonal connections and lead to more harmonious relationships.
3. You’re a better problem solver
By applying critical thinking to problems that arise, it’ll help you be an effective and creative problem solver. Tackling the most daunting of cognitive challenges will be with ease.
Indeed, when you understand how to digest data, pick out the relevant details, and devise a creative solution, not much will be able to stand in the way of you and what you want.
What are some must-have analytical skills?
Hiring managers often are on the lookout for people who can exemplify these abilities before they even set foot in the office. So if you want your credentials to be as competitive as can be, it’s wise to add strong analytical skills to your resume.
Understandably, mastering any new skill may seem daunting, but it’ll give you a leg up. It may not be the easiest of efforts, but, as all good things are, it’s definitely worth it. And as Jim Kwik always advises: “If knowledge is power, learning is your superpower.”
Not sure which analytical skill to start with? Here are six must-haves that are sure to blow your employer’s socks off.
1. The ability to conduct effective research
It’s all about the data nowadays. With data, businesses are able to:
- Have access to real-time insights into a particular issue
- Solve complex problems
- Learn more about their customers
- Improve the bottom line and workflow process
- Make better business decisions
Being able to effectively research and gather data is an invaluable analytical skill – one that is highly sought after.
2. Data analysis
The next logical step after curating your information is being able to analyze it… because what good is a collection if you don’t do anything with it, right?
Analyzing data may sound technical, but it’s actually something you most likely do every day anyway, both in and out of the workplace. Data analysis is essentially the ability to:
- Look at a collection of data
- Identify where and when logical trends and sequences emerge
- Make informed decisions on what to do next
Data analysis comes in many forms, so detect your own inner analyst at work in your everyday life and mention this skill in your resume.
3. Efficient problem-solving
Problem-solving isn’t just about finding an effective solution. It’s also about being able to identify that there’s a problem in the first place.
Sometimes, great projects are sidelined by small problems that snowball into unnecessary catastrophes. An effective problem solver:
- Takes in information and analyzes it
- Detects the presence of such issues before they become legitimate hindrances
- Find the most efficient, practical solution available
If your options are few, try some out-of-the-box thinking and try something entirely unique.
4. Creative thinking
Creative thinking isn’t limited to artists and musicians. It is an analytical skill that’s fast becoming expected of everyone. It’s highly valued and very transferrable, and it ties in nicely with being an efficient problem solver.
Nurturing your inner wellspring of creativity will help you:
- Tackle life’s challenges with no end
- Try alternative methods and inventive approaches
- Streamline the problem-solving process for everyone involved
Being a creative thinker means you’re able to see a problem from different vantage points. You’re skilled enough to come up with out-of-the-box solutions, making you an invaluable asset to the team.
5. Critical thinking
In recent years, the term ‘critical thinking’ has become a buzzword in corporate and academic settings, and it does indeed overlap with analytical thinking.
Critical thinking helps with:
- Facilitating the research
- Problem-solving
- Creative output
However, here’s the thing though: it’s all done objectively. And that’s much easier said than done though. More often than not, it can be challenging for us as human beings to separate ourselves from our biases, judgments, and reactions.
Practicing critical thinking skills means practicing the ability to step away from the beliefs that you may hold dear.
6. Compelling communication
As effective communicators, we can facilitate the potency of all our other analytical skills.
Being able to solve problems, think analytically, and spot trends are one thing. But the other thing is being able to truly connect with your team and express your ideas clearly and calmly.
That’s communication at its finest… or being able to talk the talk, as they say.
How do you present your analytical skills to potential employers?
As you may know, there are several stages of a job search and application process. And that presents several opportunities to present your analytical skills to potential employers.
On your resume
Showcasing your technical skills is great. However, you should also add in a section where you display your analytical skills, too.
And keep in mind that some companies use applicant tracking systems. So, be sure to research specific keywords that are relevant to the company you’re applying to.
In the cover letter
Think of your cover letter as your wingman — it acts as a personal introduction and helps make your application appealing to your potential employer.
While your analytical skills can be listed in your resume, the cover letter gives you the chance to expand on those abilities. Share your motivations and what interested you in applying for that particular job. Additionally, highlight your communication skills, creativity, and even your experiences in data collection and analysis.
In the job interview
The job interview allows the employer to determine whether your skills, experience, and character are the right fit for the job and the company.
Here’s where you can dive even deeper into showcasing your analytical skills. Share a story of how you handled a work crisis or how you gathered data to help your team achieve its goals. And remember to highlight how the challenges you faced helped you hone your skills.
Epic things start with you
Improving your analytical skills begins with the first step — deciding which skill appeals to you most. You can challenge yourself to learn something new. Alternatively, you can improve in the abilities that you already have.
And if you’re looking for a place to level up, join Mindvalley. As a Member, you have access to the world’s greatest transformational teachers. Plus, a global tribe to help you hone in on your skills.
Because here’s the truth about skills and life — it all starts with you.
See you at Mindvalley.
