16 High-Income Skills You Need On Your Resume

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, one in three workers increased their salaries by learning the right high-income skills.

You don’t need to go back to school to learn these skills—anyone can teach themselves at any point in their career. There are lots of resources available online.

In this article we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the most valuable high-income skills, how much they pay, and how you can learn them. Plus, get tips on how to include high-income skills on your resume.

What is a high income skill?

High-income skills are abilities that lead to better pay and earning potential.

What makes a skill valuable is determined by the expertise and knowledge required. Emerging jobs and technologies are also factors. The more specialized or rare the skill, the more lucrative it is.

Skills can be either hard or soft. Hard skills are abilities that you learn from school or training, like JavaScript, coding, copywriting, or Excel.

Soft skills are abilities that help you get along with other people in an organization. That’s why they’re sometimes called people skills. They include communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and time management.

16 high-income skills that are in demand

According to a study by Harvard Business School and EMSI, college degree requirements are on the decline for a majority of jobs. Instead, hiring managers are prioritizing skills.

This means your skillset is more important than ever. But some high-income skills are more versatile than others and will likely stay in demand well into the future.

Here are the top high-income skills that are projected to be highly valuable in the coming years.

1) Video and audio production

Creating video and audio content is one of the most in-demand skills today. This is because it’s applicable to many areas, from cinematography to social media. With the growth of podcasting, the field is only becoming more profitable. In fact, it’s expected to become a $4 billion industry by 2024.

2) Content creation and management

From YouTube vloggers to brands’ Instagram pages, content creation has turned into a high-profile career. It involves coming up with relatable content, driving engagement, and increasing followers. You also have to know how to manage a content calendar and analyze data.

According to ZipRecruiter, freelance TikTok creators, content designers, and content strategy leads are the highest paying jobs in content creation.

3) Sales

Having sales skills benefits you in any field that turns a product or service into revenue. All kinds of industries want people who know how to sell.

And you don’t need a degree for a lot of sales jobs. What you do need are a few soft skills. These include being personable, maintaining relationships, and communicating.

Many sales jobs also involve commission, meaning you have the power to maximize your earnings.

4) Digital marketing

Digital marketing skills allow you to broaden your career potential, as today’s brands need a strong online presence. Whether you’re interested in affiliate marketing, SEO, social media, or email marketing, being able to reach a wider audience will make you stand out.

5) Copywriting

If you work in the field of communication, being able to call yourself a copywriter will take you far. Copywriting means understanding your audience, keeping up with trends, and increasing brand awareness. All these skills will be marketable for the indefinite future.

You don’t need a degree to learn how to become a copywriter. Start by freelancing, reaching out to brands, reading copy of brands you love. Use social media or a personal website to practice your writing skills.

6) SEO

The need for SEO, aka Search Engine Optimization, only continues to multiply in today’s job market. Getting on Google’s top search engine results page (SERP) brings in more traffic and growth. This is something all brands and businesses strive for.

As it’s a newer industry, there’s plenty of room for growth and opportunities. Getting ahead by learning SEO skills sets you apart from other candidates. Plus, there are plenty of resources out there to help you gain experience.

7) Data analytics

The need for data analysts has skyrocketed in recent years. The internet is a large place, and there’s a gigantic amount of data to analyze. Data analytics helps businesses optimize their performance and discover patterns in information.

Industries like travel, healthcare, and retail rely on analytics to troubleshoot and look for trends. Being able to use tools like Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, Tableau, and Looker will boost your resume.

8) Blockchain

Since the rise of cryptocurrency, having skills in blockchain technology is super valuable. This is because few people understand all the complexities. In fact, blockchain expertise is the fastest growing skill, according to the latest skills index.

A blockchain developer is likely the most popular role in this industry. In this position, you’ll create applications for blockchain. You also will use programming languages like C++, Python, and Javascript.

Big companies, from banks to insurance to retail, want to take advantage of the technology and stay up to date on it. Blockchain is popular at startups, tech companies, and governments. It’s already influencing online payments, voting security, file storage, and more.

9) Software/web development

As a software developer, you create and update applications using the six following stages: planning, analysis, designing, implementing, testing and integrating, and maintaining.

Software development skills translate to working in engineering, testing, and bug fixing. In this field, having an understanding of coding is crucial. Consider what projects you’d be most passionate about before choosing your niche.

Web development is also valuable in pretty much any career avenue today. This skill can range from making a simple webpage to building a mobile application or social network service. Again, knowing coding languages is very beneficial here.

10) UX and UI

Also known as User Experience and User Interface, UX and UI makes apps and websites easy to use and visually pleasing.

With UX, you’ll conduct research to find out what users want and how to give them the best experience. UI focuses on visual and interactive design. You’ll consider the color scheme, typography, buttons, and images. The goal is to make everything as attractive as possible.

Any business or brand with an online presence values UX and UI. Good design and usability help grow a customer base, so they need someone who’s skilled in this area.

11) Cloud computing

Cloud computing involves delivering services on the internet like storage, data, and servers. Cloud providers help organizations create applications, store and back up data, and more.

Examples of cloud providers include Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

Being an expert in cloud computing is valuable in a range of industries. Healthcare, retail, hospitality, and, of course, technology all lean on these skills. More and more businesses have started to use the Cloud in recent years.

12) Data science

There’s a lot of data out there, and the need for data scientists is on the rise in every industry. While similar to data analytics, it’s not quite the same.

Data science involves predicting future outcomes using unorganized data. Scientific methods, algorithms, and processes help you provide insights to your clients. This allows them to make better decisions and can increase their profits.

Data enlists a combination of technological skills, which is why it’s so valuable. You need to be comfortable with math, statistics, programming, analytics, and artificial intelligence. If you have experience in these areas, you’re off to a great start.

13) Artificial Intelligence

At this point, you’ve likely heard of artificial intelligence, or AI. This technology allows systems and machines to learn from data.

As the technology advances, so does the career potential. Companies and organizations are spending more time than ever trying to understand AI. So if you’re an expert, your skills are in demand.

Having a background in programming or data science benefits you in this field. You should understand complex math, problem solving, and technology.

On a related note, learning about natural language processing (NLP) can also help you get ahead. NLP is a form of AI that aims to interpret human language. It’s used for creating chatbots, voice recognition, and customer service support systems.

14) Project management

Project managers are the backbones of any business or organization. Their responsibilities include planning, organizing, and executing projects. They set goals and raise morale, plus take budgets and schedules into consideration.

To be a successful project manager, you must communicate, close deals, lead meetings, and be personable.

You can find project managing opportunities in any industry. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), careers in consulting, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage have the most earning potential.

15) Entrepreneurship

If you’d rather work for yourself try building up your entrepreneurial expertise. It’s hard to define exactly what makes up this skill set, but you need motivation, determination, and spirit. Plus, an original idea, of course.

Once you have your idea, you need to be able to transform it into a real product or service. Networking and building relationships with established entrepreneurs is essential. Troubleshooting will also likely be very valuable.

16) Leadership

Considered one of the most valuable soft skills, leadership encapsulates a broad range of high-value skills itself—some natural, some learned. And it’s a quality you can always improve upon. Good leaders are confident. They have strong abilities in public speaking, motivating, and empathizing.

How to add high-income skills to your resume

If you have any high-income skills, showcase them in a skills section near the top of your resume. It could look something like this:

If you completed any courses, training, or certifications, be sure to include those too.

Tailor your resume skills to the job you’re applying for

Don’t just create a single resume that you send out with every application. You’ll have greater success in getting job interviews if you tailor each resume to the job you’re applying for.

When you submit your resume it goes directly into an ATS database. Hiring managers search the database for suitable job candidates by typing keywords into the search bar. These keywords are usually skills. If you have the right skills listed on the resume it will be found by the hiring manager. If your resume doesn’t list those skills it will remain in the database.

That’s why you need to tailor each resume – so you can be sure to add the skills required for that particular job.

How to tailor your resume

Tailoring each resume can be time-consuming. That’s why most job seekers don’t do it.

The best solution to this problem is to use a resume scanner. This will help you speed up the process of tailoring your resumes. A scanner works like this:

Step 1: Paste your resume into the scanner.

Step 2: Paste the job description into the scanner.

Step 3: Click “scan”.

You’ll then receive a Match Report. This report contains a score that tells you how closely your resume matches the job description. You’ll also learn exactly which keywords to add to increase your score.

Here’s part of a skills section of the Match Report produced by Jobscan’s resume scanner.

As you can see, you’ll need to add the required keyword “billing” if you want your resume to stand out.

Using Jobscan’s resume scanner to tailor your resumes can increase your chances of getting job interviews by 50%.

Try it for free here:

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