Skills You Need to Learn on Your Own to Advance Your Career
The professional world and the future of work are becoming more competitive every year. This is especially true when younger generations come with better adaptability to technology and a more innovative mindset. Therefore, we have to be active learners to keep up with the market and with our peers. Something as standard as keeping up with the relevant news in our niche can make a difference.
Companies sometimes go to great lengths to provide their employees with tools to keep learning while they work. But there are some skills that you should strive to learn on your own. These are the skills you must learn to advance your career.
Communication
Communication is one of the essential skills that people must have to build lasting relationships in life and work. You need to know how to communicate with your family, teachers, and friends as you grow older. Then throughout your education and work life, communication will be essential to your success.
There are many aspects of excellent communication such as spoken and written words, body language, and even knowing how to listen. People who know how to introduce themselves to others will also know how to offer and sell ideas or products. Also, being an excellent communicator will improve your relationship with co-workers and facilitate teamwork.
Adaptability
The ability to adapt to new and exciting changes is something many companies seek. The society in which we live today has constant changes with the introduction of new technologies every week. Also, with more people striving to increase inclusion and diversity, we are regularly exposed to different people and cultures.
It is essential to have the skills to adapt to new developments in a work environment. Employers like to know that employees can accept any challenge that comes their way. And when they receive promotions, they will probably choose more flexible and adaptable people.
Leadership
Some people believe that leaders are born, but this is a skill that can also be learned. Being a good leader is not the same as being a boss or manager. Many people in managerial positions do not have good leadership skills. An excellent leader must inspire people to follow them, and they will not have to use force to force people to fulfill their obligations.
A leader also recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of each person on his team to assign tasks for the best results. If someone does not have leadership skills, they will probably have a hard time with the future of work and will also never reach high positions in their career.
Digital literacy
We are in a digital age and employers expect everyone to have some kind of digital literacy. Additionally, technology is snowballing and it is crucial to be able to keep up with new software and platforms that will make your job easier and improve your performance. Most companies aspire to use the latest technology and will likely do without workers who cannot learn to use it.
It depends on what career you choose, but digital literacy means knowing how to use whatever software or platform you need for the job. For example, to be a good graphic designer, you must be familiar with using Photoshop or Fireworks. This is in addition to other common requirements that apply to almost any career such as how to use Microsoft Office, or Gsuite.
Cover letter and resume
A considerable part of building a career path to success is knowing how to write an amazing cover letter and resume when it comes to the future of work. It is common for people to have a hard time finding a job and fail to realize that your resume is boring and that your cover letter is not catchy enough. There are even freelancers who are dedicated to making resumes for other people.
It is a real skill that many people don't realize they lack, until they started struggling to find a job. This is the first contact you will likely have with your future employer. Learning how to write and design a resume and cover letters will help you from the beginning of your career until you retire.
Work ethic
Having a brilliant work ethic is something that is practically ingrained in our personalities, and we probably learn it as we grow up. However, you can still learn it later in life if you didn't have the best examples growing up.
A strong work ethic is a set of values that translate into being responsible, disciplined, professional, punctual, respectful of others, and honest. Employers will not want to retain workers who are unreliable, or who are late for all important meetings. Therefore, having a great work ethic will give you an advantage over your co-workers.
Creative and innovative thinking
We are in a world used to constant change, so being able to find new perspectives and solutions becomes a great skill to advance your career. Creative and innovative thinking means that people can look at problems with unique points of view and find non-traditional solutions.
Companies love having workers with innovative minds because they always come up with new ideas to beat the competition. And it's even more critical in industries where creativity is a daily skill like mobile development. Creativity and innovation are learned through experience, but there are some exercises that people can do to jump-start their own.
Web development
Web development is an excellent skill to have as a complement to your career. It can be used to build your own website, or e-commerce business as a side activity. Also, many companies will be attracted to employees who have web development skills to help them with their websites.
Plus, this skill is quickly learned with an online course or coding bootcamp. Lambda School has a web development course to learn everything you need to know to create unique and functional websites. Furthermore, by learning this, you will also develop other skills such as critical thinking and problem solving that will help you improve performance in any job.
In summary
All of these soft and hard skills can be learned at your own time and level and will only serve to enhance your curriculum. Most of them attract employers like communication, adaptability, and a strong work ethic. Others can be a complement to your career or an entire career on its own, such as web development. Either way, keep learning to keep up with the competition.
