No matter the industry, there are constant changes and advancements happening. As a professional, it’s important to continue to evolve so you can stay relevant and successful. When employees remain stagnant, a skills gap occurs and it poses a huge problem for industrial productivity as well as professional growth.
The way to close the gap and stay successful is by upskilling or adding new skills to expand your capabilities and offerings.
Why Should You Upskill Yourself and How Can It Set You Up For Success?
3 Benefits of Upskilling
Receive a Raise
If you’re able to add more skills to your work, you may be able to ask for a raise at your next review. When you can prove that your upskilling efforts have led you to be a more productive worker at the company, you’ll be able to clearly demonstrate how your initiatives have improved your value at the company.
Boost the Excitement of Your Work Life
If you’re noticing that your life in the workforce is either too boring, too challenging, or maybe unfulfilling, you don’t need to look for an entirely new career. You may just need to consider updating and adding to your skills. When you add more skills to your professional offerings, you will gain access to new opportunities. New opportunities and challenges help keep your career interesting and can propel you down the path for growth as well.
Improve Yourself
Not only will you improve yourself in your career, but the process of learning new skills is healthy. The new challenges literally help your brain stay young and you may feel a fresh excitement as your upskills provide you with new possibilities.
Popular Areas for Upskilling in Nearly Any Industry
Digital
During these times, advancing your knowledge of some digital skills would be a smart consideration. This broad category of skills includes:
- Cloud-based software
- Data visualization
- Digital Marketing
- Information technology support
- Programming
- Search engine marketing (SEM)
- Social media
- Software development
- UX/UI design
- Web development
- Video
While some skills may require more in-depth education, others can be learned in a self-paced program.
With so much of the world being changed with the ever-advancing technology, having digital skills is a smart investment for your career. In fact, employees with digital proficiency can make a notable amount more than their counterparts who are uncomfortable with some of these skills.
Analytics
Since nearly every industry is evolving thanks to advancements in technology, employees who have analytical skills to interpret and utilize the plethora of data are in high demand. Jobs with these skills pay well, and some of these skills include:
- Critical thinking
- Data science and analytics
- Digital business analysis
- Inductive and deductive reasoning
- Mathematical modeling
- Problem-solving
- Research
Soft Skills
Practical or hard, skills aren’t the only ones that you can turn to for upskilling. Upon entering the workforce many people realize that if only they were better at certain soft skills, they may be able to enjoy their work better or progress at the company faster. Soft skills are essential to interacting with managers and coworkers as well as managing your own workload. Consider if you’d like to upskill or improve upon any of these in-demand soft skills:
- Management
- Communication
- Customer service
- Leadership
- Project management
- Creativity
- Persuasion
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
- Emotional intelligence
How to Begin Your Upskilling Efforts
Set a Goal
It makes sense that the first step to a successful upskill journey is to set a goal. What is it that you want to achieve in your career? A big picture can help you determine your focus and help you stay motivated when you’re in the thick of learning new skills.
Acknowledge Your Gaps
Now that you have a goal in mind, be honest with yourself and acknowledge the gaps in your skills that will keep you from achieving your professional goals. To get a specific idea of what gaps you may need to close with upskilling, you might choose two options:
- Browse job descriptions of positions you’d like to be considered for on the way to achieving your goals. If you are lacking specific skills they’re asking for, that will be a great place to start.
- Ask a mentor you have in the industry of what types of skills they feel that many candidates or professionals lack. Acquiring these skills, if they’re aligned with your goals, might be a great way to stand out.
Formulate a Plan
Once you understand the skills gap that you have in relation to the goals you want to achieve, it’s time to formulate a plan to bridge the gap.
Evaluate how you want to upskill, whether it be through online courses, local workshops, or another avenue. Consider your learning preferences so you can enjoy the upskilling process.
Find a Job that Fits the Future You Want
If you need help finding a job that you want to grow into, try working with a staffing agency like Axiom Staffing Group.
