How to Bridge the Skill Gap for Your Next Job
When the economy goes haywire the most affected are jobseekers. The only way to remain immune from the changing economic conditions is to remain ahead of the time by constantly updating your skill set. Upgrading your skills should not be a once in a while exercise. It should be a constant process which is how you can ensure better success rate than others even during hostile circumstances. This post talks about the various methods and practices one should follow to keep their skills updated.
As day after day news comes about how new technology is disrupting the economy, professionals have little choice other than to evolve quickly so as to remain relevant. Companies are driving innovation faster than ever to remain ahead of the competition and thus require their employees to work faster and smarter. Therefore, in order to remain ahead of the digital transformation and innovate as rapidly as possible, new skillsets need to be learned. There is a huge demand today for talent that has extensive digital experience and training in the latest technology which is not only a challenge to fulfil but also a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you want to make the most of this opportunity it is essential that you keep your skillsets current. Here is how to do that.
Identify the Skill Gap
Some people learn it the hard way when they are rejected in an interview owing to the lack of knowledge of the latest skills. However, you can avoid this unpleasant situation if you consistently keep a tab on the current trends of your industry and identify the skills that you need to learn in order to keep up with its changing pace. A thorough and careful assessment of your career will help you in pinpointing the skill gap.
You will need to establish the skills that are in demand at your level and then decide their priority based on the demand as well as future trends. You can access the latest job descriptions being advertised by the major companies in your industry to have an accurate picture of the skill demand. Plus, your professional network can also play an important role in helping you decide the skills that you need to learn. Ask your boss, or a friend in some other company, or simply go through their profiles on LinkedIn to know the skills they possess and you do not.
Make a Road map to Fill the Gap
Now since you have identified the problems it’s time to address the elephant in the room. You must create a realistic and solid plan to bridge the gap. This might include setting up a list of the trainings and certifications that you need pursue in order to close the gap for your next job. For instance, if you are looking to apply to a job of a digital media marketer it’s imperative for you to have hands on experience on various popular analytics tools such GA, or Adobe Omniture. However, if you do not have that it would be critical to pursue a certification in the same to become suitable match for the position of digital marketer in a good company.
It might be difficult for you after spending years in the corporate to return to school. However, a college degree is not the only way to get proper education. E-learning has come up in a big way in the recent times as it creates excellent opportunities for working professionals like you to carry on their education without having to sacrifice the work life. Plus, many universities and colleges offer evening or weekend courses that are particularly aimed at professionals who simply want to advance their existing careers. Joining them is a good option. For any course you choose, some points need to be kept in mind include training content and level, training type, timing and budget. After pondering over these factors make a well-thought over decision that is beneficial to your career.
Test your newly learnt skills
Only subscribing to a course and attending classes will not help. You need to have a proper system in place which can measure the extent of your progress in learning new skills. A regular evaluation of your newly learnt capabilities is the key. Without proper evaluation you won’t get the sense of satisfaction of having learnt something new. For the same, professionals can either take online tests or pursue freelance assignments and test themselves rigorously. These assignments will give you a fair idea of how good you are at the newly learned skills and boost your confidence before applying to a new job. A slight boost of income through freelance earnings is obviously another unsaid benefit of the same.
Saurabh Tyagi
Latest posts by Saurabh Tyagi (see all)
- How to Bridge the Skill Gap for Your Next Job - November 20, 2016
