The most important career skill to build in 2026

The end of the year is the perfect time to take stock of where you are, what you’re good at, and what you want to develop in the new year. The job market continues to be intense and competitive, so you’re wise to consider hiring trends and how you can best prepare and set yourself apart.

There is one skill that tops the list for getting the job, building your career, and becoming indispensable: resilience.  

Resilience has many forms. At a general level, resilience is about adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness to multiple situations. But when you consider it through a few lenses, it brings terrific focus to what you must be wicked good at for the brightest future.

RESILIENCE WITH PEOPLE

Topping the list of which skills will set you apart are people skills also known as soft skills. And while they’re called soft skills, they’re actually not soft at all since they are hard to find, hard to master, and it’s hard to get anywhere without them.

In particular, a survey by Resume Template found that 24% of hiring managers believe soft skills are most important, followed by 62% who say they are just as important as technical skills. And data from TestGorilla found that 60% of hiring leaders believe soft skills are more important today than they were five years ago.

But what’s helpful to consider is that soft skills are really made up of an ability to be resilient with people. When you can listen with empathy, you’re better able to respond. When you can communicate effectively with diverse groups of people, you can get more done. When you can demonstrate teamwork and collaboration, you’re able to move others to action and effectively achieve objectives together. And when you show professionalism through tough issues, you’ll generate a lot of panache. These are all among the top-ranking skills that hiring managers want, according to Resume Template.

Ultimately, resilience is required with people because you’ll need to be constantly adjusting to their moods or their styles. You’ll also need to flex your style if you face conflict, staying calm when you feel angry, or finding a way to talk with someone even if you disagree.

Build your resilience with people by focusing on listening and tuning in when you’re interacting, rather than getting distracted by devices or your internal chatter. Also ask for feedback from a trusted colleague about how you interact and how you can improve. Look around for people you believe are especially good at building relationships and rapport. Consider how you can learn from what makes them effective, so you can put new strategies into practice. 

RESILIENCE WITH SITUATIONS

Another way that resilience is a primary skill for success is that it helps ensure you’re adaptable to whatever situation you face. You’ll need to be contextually aware, staying in tune with shifts that might be occurring with customers or with an emerging problem. In fact, in the Resume Template survey, problem-solving was one of the top skills that hiring managers are looking for in candidates.

You’ll also need to manage time effectively, and this is rarely linear or predictable, requiring flexibility. The project will take longer than you thought, or you’ll need to wait for a teammate to give you key information before you can make progress on your task. Or you may finish with a set of responsibilities more quickly than you planned and be ready to position yourself for what’s next. Time management is one of the most important skills, according to the Resume Template data.

Resilience with situations also requires you to take initiative. When you see a barrier, you’ll need to step up and figure out how to get past it. Or when you see an opportunity, you’ll want to lean in, raise your hand, and volunteer to get involved. This kind of approach will get you noticed so you can get promoted or secure the next opportunity.

You can think of situational resilience as grit. It’s the ability to stick with things and adapt to what’s needed in the moment. It’s also the ability to be flexible in terms of how you apply your skills based on what the team or the organization needs and based on where you want to head with your career.

Build your resilience with situations by staying aware of what’s going on around you in the world, in your organization, and with your customers (whether they’re internal or external). Consistently ask yourself how you need to respond and how you can take initiative with what’s changing. 

You can also build your situational resilience by reminding yourself that you’re capable and that you can learn all the time. If you stumble, reflect on what happened and make plans for how you can improve. This will keep you in a learning mode and a resilience mindset. 

RESILIENCE FOR THE FUTURE

Resilience is also the most important skill as it relates to your ability to learn, grow, and develop. The landscape of work is changing at breakneck speed, largely because of technology. As a result, the very best candidates are those who can figure out how to make things happen in the midst of uncertainty and keep their skills fresh and continually developing.

There is also an element of optimism and energy that is part of resilience for the future. When you’re investing time and effort in your own growth, you’re necessarily anticipating what’s next and planning on where you can go. This is a hope-filled strategy, and people are drawn to others who are powering through and engaged with the team in moving forward together. This is the true essence of leadership, another in-demand skill, in which you’re motivating and inspiring others.

When you demonstrate resilience for the future, you’re also staying aware of trends, markets, customers, and competitors. Whatever job you do, you’re constantly sensing what’s changing, what’s coming, and how you can respond.

In the Resume Template survey, among the top 10 hard skills that leaders wanted candidates to have were data analysis, project management, and AI. A survey by Resume Builder agrees that AI is the most important skill that hiring managers want to see on résumés.

But the nuances of these skills and how they’re applied will change over time. The ability to learn what’s new and flex over time will be most critical to success.

Build your resilience for the future by staying optimistic. There are always plenty of barriers as you look forward, but try to focus on the opportunities that are also coming up. Make plans for the new skills you want to learn. Also lean into how you use technology. Try, test, and experiment so you can develop both skills and a point of view about what works best. And engage other people, involving them and sharing the positive energy you’re feeling to move ahead.   

THE ACTION HERO EFFECT

Resilience is an action-hero skill. Think of MacGyver, who was an action hero who could solve any problem to get himself out of thorny situations. Or consider Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible, surviving and achieving the objective no matter the challenge.

Resilience allows you to make things happen in spite of challenging colleagues, conflicts, problems with projects, or changes in direction. You won’t avoid difficulty, but you’ll be able to work your way through by adapting, flexing, and demonstrating resilience. Building this ability in the new year will allow you to stand out and set yourself apart whether you’re interviewing for a new job, getting noticed for a promotion, or expanding your credibility in your current role.