9 Technical Skills To Aid Your Job Hunt and Increase Your Odds of Being Hired Now
We consulted with career experts to determine what employers are looking for these days to increase your chances of getting hired in 2026.
According to a recent report from Careerminds, candidates with technical skills were 42% more likely to land a job in this economy than those relying solely on soft skills. When it comes to the technical skills that are helping the most, Tableau leads with a 25.1% hiring rate, followed by data analysis (22.9%), Python (22.1%), SQL (21.4%), Git (20.9%), Java (20.8%), Docker (20.6%), Power BI (19.7%) and Excel (18.6%).
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The data found that candidates with any AI-related skill were 1.4x more likely to get hired than those without (21.3% versus Fifteen.4%). However, it’s worth noting that adaptability (20.9%) made the top five and is the only soft skill that’s keeping pace. Read on to learn what the pros think about this.
Simply Listing Your Soft Skills Isn’t Enough
Amanda Augustine, a certified professional career coach (CPCC), resume writer (CPRW), and resident career expert at Careerminds, said that many job seekers are relying on skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership to strengthen their resumes, but the issue is that listing them isn't enough to differentiate you in a competitive job market. She elaborated, “The skills you highlight should be relevant to the work you're targeting, skills you genuinely possess, and, whenever possible, skills you can back up with evidence.”
She believes that you should follow the rule of showing, not telling, on a resume because anyone can claim to be a strong communicator or an effective leader. Unfortunately, simply listing such soft skills doesn’t grab an employer’s attention. What makes that claim credible is showing where you've put that skill to work with specific evidence.
Provide Evidence of Your Expertise
“Look for opportunities throughout your resume to demonstrate how you used a skill to solve a problem, complete a project, improve a process, meet a goal or otherwise add value,” said Augustine. “Specific examples and measurable results will always tell an employer more than a keyword alone.”
If you can provide evidence of your work on top of your technical skills, you’ll stand out in a crowded marketplace. You want clear proof that you have the right skill set for the job you’re applying for.
Create a Portfolio of Your Work
“Being able to show a portfolio, a work sample or a certification goes a long way toward getting past AI-generated content and to the substance of what someone can do,” said Angela Finlay, founder and chief human resources officer of Windward Human Capital Management and the author of "Skill Stacking: Taking Ownership of Your Career in Changing Times."
She believes that technical skills are easy to verify, so employers are looking for tangible proof of what you’ve done, and this is where a portfolio becomes helpful.
Learn Technical Skills
Augustine acknowledged that the growing appeal of technical skills doesn't mean everyone should rush out to learn Tableau or TensorFlow. The right skills will always depend on your specific profession, but she finds that AI fluency, analytical skills, cybersecurity, and process design are important technical skills worth learning in 2026.
Stop Ignoring the Power of AI
The experts agreed that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the power of AI. While you don’t have to be an AI engineer, as a job seeker you should understand which AI tools are relevant to your field and learn how to use them.
They recommended preparing concrete examples of times you applied those tools to workflows and data analysis, as well as the gains achieved. This establishes your bonafides well above simply naming popular LLMs in your skills section.
Use Skill Stacking as a Career Strategy
Finlay recommends using skill stacking to increase your chances of getting hired.
“A technical skill can tell me what a candidate has done and give me insight into what they can do for me," she said. "However, the candidates that stand out the most are the ones who can show more of their skill stack in the interview that makes them unique.”
Some examples include:
Combine process design skills with critical thinking and relationship building to collaborate with team members.
Add management skills to AI knowledge to prove that you can influence process changes in the company.
“Someone who can build a narrative around all of these skills, not just highlight the technical skills, will be the one that we end up hiring,” she said.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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