We recently gathered a powerhouse panel for our webinar, "The Skills That Get You Hired and Promoted in the Age of AI" featuring Fadl Al Tarzi (CEO, Nexford University), William Easmon (Director People & Culture, Absa Bank Ghana), and Samuel Amanor (CEO, Blue Space Africa). They didn't hold back on what employers are actually looking for right now.

If you missed the live session, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top 5 actionable takeaways to future-proof your career.

Top 5 actionable takeaways to future-proof your career.

1. The #1 skill isn't coding—It's "Learning how to learn"

Employers are done guessing what skills will be relevant in three years because the market changes too fast.

According to Nexford CEO Fadl Al Tarzi, the most valuable asset you can offer is agility. Companies want data points that prove you can learn, unlearn, and relearn as business needs evolve.

If you can demonstrate that you have the discipline to master new tools quickly, you become indispensable.

2. Be more human (Because AI can’t)

It sounds contradictory, but the rise of AI makes "soft skills" more valuable than ever. HR expert William Easmon pointed out that while AI has knowledge, humans have wisdom—the ability to apply that knowledge with ethics and context.

Fadl backed this up: As teams get smaller and remote work grows, communication and empathy are in massive shortage. AI can’t navigate office politics or comfort a grieving colleague. Don't become a robot; let the AI handle the robotic tasks so you can be strategic.

3. Data is the new pen and paper

You don't need to be a data scientist, but you must be data-literate. Samuel Amanor compared understanding data today to understanding how to use a pen and paper in the past.

• The reality: If you understand paper but don't understand data, you are out of the game.
• The fix: Learn how computers "talk" to each other. Learn how to process information and use tools to automate logic. If you can't interpret data to make decisions, you're falling behind.

4. Become the "AI Product Manager"

You don't need to learn Python or Cobra, but you should understand Product Management and Design Thinking. Fadl highlighted that the world needs people who can bridge the gap between technical teams and real-world problems.

• The Role: Don't just digitize a bad process (like turning a paper form into a PDF). Re-engineer the process to be efficient, then use tech to solve it.
• The Action: Start building software yourself using low-code/no-code platforms like Lovable or Replit to understand the logic behind the tech.

5. Become the "AI Product Manager"

There is no excuse for low productivity anymore. If a task used to take a week and can now be done in an hour with AI, doing it the "old way" isn't just slow—it's unethical to your employer.

• The hard truth: As Samuel noted, if you are on a team and refuse to use AI to speed up your workflow, you are the "weakest link".
• The opportunity: You can now do 20 hours of work in 5 hours. Use that extra time to learn, innovate, or solve bigger problems.

Bonus takeways

"If you're on my team and you don't use AI, you are my weakest link... An assignment that could take an hour, the traditional guy who doesn't use AI would take a week."

— Samuel Amanor, CEO, Blue Space Africa

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"Employers are getting out of the game of trying to guess what are the skills that we will need in three years... ability to learn is by far the most important."

— Fadl Al Tarzi, CEO & Founder, Nexford University

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"AI has knowledge. Wisdom is man. It is human beings that have wisdom... AI is only helping us to now become more human and leave the mundane stuff to AI."

— William Easmon, Director People & Culture, Absa Bank Ghana

Conclusion

Stop Watching, Start Building. The consensus from the panel was clear: No organization owes you development—you owe it to yourself. Don't wait for a policy change or a permission slip to start using these tools.

Want to see the full presentation?

You can watch the complete "The Skills That Get You Hired and Promoted in the Age of AI" webinar on-demand here.

Ready to advance your career?

Book a call to learn how our programs can help you.

No employer owes you a future. No algorithm owes you a career. The tools are in your pocket and the rules have changed. Stop waiting for permission and start becoming the talent they can't afford to lose.