No matter your profession, there’s always room to improve your skills. Whether you work as a CXO or are in an entry level position, improving your skill set is a way to get ahead in your career, and begin to develop your best work self. As multiple industries are consistently changing – due to laws, regulations, new technology or other innovations – staying on top of happenings in your industry will set you apart from the competition and benefit your overall job performance.
While there are multiple time consuming ways to improve your skills, such as returning to school or obtaining a certification, not everyone is able to commit to physically attending a class or seminar. That’s why we’ve come up with 4 Ways to Improve Your Skills Each Day:
Substitute Music for Educational Listening
If you commute to work, chances are you have your radio on or headphones in to help pass the time. Instead of listening to your favorite songs, dedicate your commute to gaining some new insight. Switch out music for an educational Podcast or radio broadcast on a topic of your choice. If you spend an hour commuting each way, you could be utilizing 10 hours of your time each week to bettering yourself and your understanding of your industry.
Subscribe to Quality Magazines, Newsletters, or Blogs
We all hate junk e-mail and know they can clog up inboxes quickly. However, there’s no harm in finding quality content and subscribing to it so you can be updated on a regular basis. The instant updates in your inbox are a great reminder to visit the page and read the article, so you don’t have to worry about remembering when your favorite content updates. With information easily available online, learning one new fact a day, or taking the time to read one extensive article a week will boost your knowledge. Not to mention give you something to look forward to.
Work on Soft Skills
Regardless of your actual job title and responsibilities, soft skills are just as important to most employers as hard industry skills. Most employees are looking for individuals with basic skills such as communication, team-work, and organization, amongst others.
While it is more complicated to develop these skills by reading a ‘how to’ manual, you can be doing things to develop these skills regularly. At work, make sure your space is always kept neat and orderly, and know where things are at all times. Spend a few minutes each day putting things in order and creating a to-do list to follow. Consider working on team building skills by joining a league sport or joining a team project at work. These are just a few examples of ways you can work on soft skills, sometimes even during office hours.
Keep in Practice
This is especially true for skills that you aren’t using often. For instance, if you are familiar with a computer software, yet are not using it on a daily basis at work, see if there’s any way you can obtain a trail or lite version on your home computer, or consider logging in during your lunch break. If you aren’t utilizing your knowledge, it can be easy to forget it.
If there is no way to physically practice the skills you’re worried about losing, check out ‘how to’ videos from time to time. These can also be helpful to learn the about any updated versions of the product(s).
Improving your work-related skills not only makes you a more attractive and efficient employee, but employees with solid skills also become more indispensable, thus increasing job security and attractiveness to potential employers. While some jobs may reject you for being overqualified, a strong skill set is always an asset, especially if you’re proficient in multiple areas of your specialization. Pascoe Workforce is always looking for skilled individuals in various disciplines. Contact us today to learn about opportunities to utilize your skills.