Tech skills confessions: Assessing workplace proficiencies of employees

Ongoing hours of tech skill development

Whether it’s mastering the latest software update or keeping up with emerging AI trends, staying ahead often feels like a full-time job in itself. Respondents in tech roles report that they spend an average of 64 hours annually upskilling on and off the clock. Their go-to learning sources? YouTube leads the pack (71 percent), followed by online courses (50 percent) and hands-on experience through work projects (48 percent).

Whether you're a pro or not, we've all been there before. Staring at a screen, frantically searching for a quick tutorial on how to do something before a deadline. Maybe it's a last-minute scramble to edit a PDF before a big presentation, or a panicked Google search looking up a term or acronym you've never heard before. The pressure to appear tech-savvy is very real.

Tech proficiency in non-tech roles

Technology is evolving so fast that even those working with tech can struggle to keep up with the latest tools and terminology. For employees in non-tech roles, the gap is even wider with respondents in these positions being 123 percent more likely to struggle with cloud management and 156 percent more likely to lack proficiency in AI compared to their tech-focused colleagues.

This tech skills gap presents a clear opportunity to boost efficiency in non-tech roles. In education, for instance, where one in three lack PDF conversion skills and nearly half (46 percent) can't merge PDFs, addressing these deficiencies would significantly improve educators' ability to correctly store and save their teaching resources. The same applies across a variety of other non-tech roles that could benefit from simple tech skills.

Technical jargon and acronyms

Even basic definitions can be a challenge. Many professionals, regardless of their role, find themselves nodding along in meetings when terms like "PaaS" (Platform as a Service) come up, unsure of exactly what they mean. Nearly half (43 percent) of those surveyed in tech roles confess to pretending to understand technical concepts during meetings, highlighting the pressure to appear knowledgeable in the workplace. It’s a reminder that while technology drives nearly every industry, true fluency in it is far from universal.

Skills essential for managing PDFs

We even found that 17 percent of respondents in tech roles admit they lack proficiency in essential PDF skills, such as using a PDF compressor to reduce file size or merging PDF documents efficiently. The need for accessible resources, such as free PDF converters, clear tutorials on how to combine PDF files, and user-friendly online PDF editors, can help empower employees to confidently navigate these tasks.

Including skills on resumes

The pressure to appear tech-savvy often leads to inflating skills on resumes, but where do employees draw the line on what they list?

Most respondents (54 percent) reported feeling comfortable listing skills on their resumes once they possess intermediate knowledge and are confident with common applications. Amid the current tough job market, it’s understandable that applicants may be adding these skills. In a study on resumes from Adobe in 2024, we discovered that 51 percent of job-seekers acknowledged omitting pertinent skills from their resumes. These new findings suggest that imposter syndrome may be influencing the selection of skills job-seekers are choosing to showcase on their resumes, based on individual self-perceived proficiency levels. It's acceptable to highlight skills you're still developing, provided you're committed to learning.