Build In-Demand Skills: A Free Resource to Explore Careers and Grow Your Future

Whether you're beginning your college journey, exploring a career change, or thinking about developing new skills for your next opportunity, one question inevitably comes up: What skills do employers actually value? Fortunately, there's a free resource designed to help answer that question. The Skills-First Workforce Initiative provides detailed, research-based skill profiles for 30 occupations that are central to America's workforce, giving job seekers a clearer picture of the knowledge and abilities employers are looking for today. 

The website features 30 career profiles, each highlighting the skills most frequently referenced in employer job postings. Rather than simply listing qualifications, the profiles break down the capabilities that help professionals succeed in each role. 

 Within every career profile, you'll find four categories of skills: 

• Core role-specific skills that are essential for performing the job.
• Applied skills that are valuable in the role and often transfer to related careers.
• Foundational and leadership skills that are useful across many professions.
• Specialization skills that are particularly important within certain industries or fields.

One of the most valuable aspects of the resource is the depth of information provided for every skill. Each entry includes a clear definition, explains how the skill is used on the job, and outlines three levels of proficiency so you can understand what growth and mastery look like over time. You'll also see how frequently the skill appears in current job postings, along with trends showing whether employer demand for that skill has increased over the past five years.

For example, the profile for Project Management Specialist begins with an overview of the role: planning, executing, and overseeing projects to meet scope, schedule, and budget goals while coordinating resources, managing risks, and keeping stakeholders informed. One of the role's core skills is budgeting: a high-value competency that appears in nearly one-quarter of current job postings for project management professionals.

Whether you're deciding what to study, identifying skills to strengthen, or preparing for your next career move, this resource offers a practical roadmap for professional development. By understanding which skills employers value—and how those skills are applied in the workplace—you can make more informed decisions about your education, training, and career path. The more intentional you are about developing in-demand skills, the more opportunities you'll be prepared to pursue.