These are the job skills you'll need for 2021, expert says

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (WTVD) -- Whether you have managed to hold on to your job or are looking for work during the pandemic, there is still hope for advancing your career.

Executives in the local office of national human resources consulting firm Keystone Partners said they believe opportunities still await workers in 2021 despite a continuing epidemic.

"The pandemic has really forced job seekers and those that are still employed to look at what's really important," Renee Zung told ABC11.

Zung is a vice president at Keystone Partners' RTP office.

She coaches managers and workers to help enhance their careers.

She noted that with many offices still mostly empty, some managers can't adapt.

"That traditional 9-to-5 workday has gone to the wayside. So some managers are really unable to embrace this flexible work schedule," Zung said.

Many of those managers will end up moving, Zung predicted.

And that's an opportunity for others.

"Those individuals who are shining, who are really stepping up and becoming the team lead, can just move into those roles because it's always easier to promote from within," Zung said.

But even amidst a pandemic, there are also other ways to get ahead at your company or in a new job, she added.

"Anything that can up your technology skills, anything in digital technology, is going to help the job seeker," she said, and she added that to get those skills doesn't necessarily mean going back to college or even going to college at all.

"Google has these new certifications where instead of going to college you can have a certification," Zung said. "LinkedIn has skills assessments. There's LinkedIn Learning. There's Coursera. There's Udemy."

Those certification courses, such as "internet technology," "data analysis," and "software development," are significantly cheaper than college.

Some of the paid courses are as little as $10.

Some are free.

All make you more visible to employers, according to Zung.

"Having those certifications, you're going to stand out against the other job seekers," she said.

So start building your skill level now with the hope that 2021 will provide better opportunities for all workers.