Top CIOs share the steps tech job seekers should take right now to market themselves for a high-paying role during economic hard times

• Millions of Americans are on the job hunt as the coronavirus pandemic forces mass layoffs.
• One hiring bright spot is for technology roles, like software engineer, data scientist, and robotics experts.
• While those positions generally require a technical background, job seekers can look to other roles that may only mandate knowledge of an in-demand skill like Java.
• And outside of technical knowledge, organizations are seeking candidates with strong soft skills.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Sign up here to receive updates on all things Innovation Inc.

Millions of Americans are losing their jobs as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the US economy.

And as fears of another recession grow, it's likely that businesses could be slow to hire even after the outbreak subsides.

But if the crisis has taught corporate America anything, it is the need to invest in digital tools. And while that kind of transformation was already under way, the pandemic is reinforcing how important the initiatives are and, in some cases, accelerating the overhaul efforts.

In the past, "digital for many people was a tangential idea to their business," Nigel Vaz, CEO at consulting firm Publicis.Sapient, told Business Insider. "An event like this signifies absolutely, clearly that it is existential. We've gone from tangential to existential in a very real way. If you don't have a digital business, you don't have a business."

That's why demand for tech workers - like data scientists and software engineers - is likely to continue to remain robust. In fact, AI jobs could actually increase beyond what they were expected to at the start of the year.

Despite the hiring need, competition for jobs is likely to get tougher - particularly as those who lost their jobs look to booming sectors like tech for positions. Luckily, there are several steps that job seekers can take now to market themselves better in tough economic times.

For those who are interested in pivoting to the field, a degree in software engineering or another advanced field is often no longer required. Instead, individuals can get a certification or license in a specific skill, like robotic process automation - technology that automates mundane office processes.

"You don't have to be a technology expert. You just have to be willing to learn a skill that is in demand," said ZipRecruiter CEO Ian Siegel.

Business Insider spoke with several prominent executives to get their advice on the skills needed to land a high-paying tech position during times of crisis.

Invest in developing soft skills

Those on the front lines of the online education movement say the most requested skills from employers are ones that require no technical knowledge - like writing, communication, and problem-solving.

And some of the most well-known CIOs echo that sentiment.

FedEx CIO Rob Carter - who has served in the role for nearly 20 years - said being able to communicate effectively with individuals outside of IT is the most critical function for technology leaders today.

"Never train on the technology at the expense of understanding the business and what the business requirements are," he told Business Insider. "You can be the most technologically brilliant person in the world, but if you don't know how to work on a team it may not bode well for you."

Several academic institutions are even requiring computer science majors to take theater courses to improve their public speaking and work better in cohorts.

For many companies, the need for soft skills also means considering more individuals with unique backgrounds - which opens the door for potential career shifts.

Wall Street giant State Street, for example, looks to hire music majors because they tend to have strong problem-solving skills and can easily learn the more technical aspects of the role once they join.

Earn a certificate in a new technology skill

Being stuck at home can be a blessing in disguise for those looking to pivot careers or find a new job.

Many in-demand tech jobs don't require an advanced degree in a concentration like software engineering.

Instead, someone looking to break into the field can use the quarantine to master a programming language like Java - one of the most sought-after skills for software behemoths like Salesforce - or become better acquainted with cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services.

"Brush up on your certifications," said Ellie Mae CIO Linh Lam. "So many businesses that didn't think about resiliency are trying to go more digital, so you're going to see an uptick in [the need for] those types of skill sets."

Others might be interested in developing expertise in more novel technology.

UiPath, for example, is offering its platform of classes on robotic process automation for free during the pandemic. Enrollees will need to pay for certification, however, or to enroll in its formal, four-week training program. So far, the platform has 600,000 subscribers and 40,000 certificates have been granted.

RPA is one of the buzziest topics in tech right now. From Deloitte to DHL, companies are trying to use the technology to automate mundane office tasks like processing applications from new recruits.

And the jobs are expected to be plentiful. Robotics engineers, for example, ranked second in LinkedIn's list of the biggest emerging roles.

"There's a huge skills gap in RPA," Tom Clancy, chief learning officer at UiPath, told Business Insider. "This is a horizontal plague. This isn't just for insurance or just for healthcare. It's for every industry. It's for every company,"

Other online platforms that offer a broader array of courses, like OpenClassrooms, are giving free access to schools for the duration of the outbreak.

Dive into open-source

Open-source software may be free and its use ubiquitous across the corporate landscape, but that doesn't mean it's not still a highly valued skill set.

And contributing to an open-source project - initiatives where mostly unpaid volunteers rely on publicly available code to build programs - is a great way to build out a resume during the pandemic.

In fact, it's a skillset that TD Ameritrade Chief Information Officer Vijay Sankaran said he looks for in candidates.

"Think of all the technology capabilities that you have as Lego pieces," he told Business Insider. "What we want to do at the end of the day is assemble those pieces in unique ways that delivers value to our clients."

That means being knowledgeable about what's available in an open-source setting from companies like Google, Netflix, and others, said Sankaran.

"We can start with the problem and understand both the pieces that we have in-house as well as the pieces that we need to go develop," he said. "We've learned so much in our AI space from what other people have done that are not in financial services."