Every industry appears to be changing constantly and more frequently as the years go by, making it increasingly harder to keep up. The simple reality is that if you want to succeed in the 21st century, then it is exponentially important to ensure that we inform ourselves and work on continuously updating our skills.
Regardless of whether you have recently graduated or have had years of experience in an industry, you should never underestimate the importance of refining your skillset, as it can ultimately improve your career.
In 2017, a Deloitte study declared that the cycle-life of a skill nowadays lasts less than 5 years, therefore it has never been more important to work on improving skills and keeping yourself up-to-date.
With technologies rapidly changing and forcing companies to adapt, a skill needs to be redeveloped approximately every 12-18 months if you wish to be indispensable – whilst it’s beneficial, we may want to rethink our sole dependence on learning on the job as it doesn’t necessarily give you the results that you need in order to quickly improve your career.
Thankfully, the fast-paced nature of our world has introduced more accessible methods to swiftly learn and sharpen your skills, such as the ones we have listed below to help guide you to continual success. Before you start working on yourself, it is good to know your strengths and weaknesses and to reveal that you can start by doing personality tests like High5test that will certainly open up new opportunities for you.
Learn a new skill
Nowadays, finding a course online is simple and often inexpensive, meaning that you could easily learn an entirely new skill or redevelop the ones that you already have with the click of a button. From accelerated BSN online programs to business degrees from Harvard, the options really are endless.
One of the key benefits of taking an online course is that they are often tailored around you, therefore you decide how long you want to spend on a class and what level you need to focus on. Today, all professions boast the opportunity for online improvement, and you can even get the necessary medical certifications without it being a strain on your time.
Not only will a course online help with refining or adding a new skill, but it will also improve your self-discipline and your focus — remember, both are incredibly beneficial if you wish to grow and shine within your chosen industry.
With an array of online courses to browse through and compare, it can be rather daunting to find the perfect course. Once you have found one that matches your current aspirations, you can rest assured that it will help you improve your skill, and ultimately your career.
Stay curious
Whether you are still in education, recently graduated or have been working in the industry for several years, curiosity is an essential element of your success, especially if you aim to be a great leader in your field.
Encourage yourself to be curious by reading more, as articles and books from reputable authors offer a wide array of facts that are educational, necessary and inspirational.
Once you have fed your curiosity slightly, you will be wanting to learn more about your chosen industry, thereby you can watch insightful videos, attend events and conferences, and it will become a hobby rather than a chore.
Learning about your chosen industry should be enjoyable, and the more you feed your curiosity the easier it’ll be to succeed and overcome obstacles throughout your career as your mind will be overflowing with acquired knowledge.
Don’t forget about your soft skills
Whilst learning new skills and redeveloping your existing ones are essential, many tend to neglect their soft skills — natural qualities such as having a positive attitude, confidence and being a team player.
Over the past few years, conversations on leadership have revolved around the significance of soft skills and why they are essential to succeed in the workplace. Just as important as your technical skills, it doesn’t take much to dedicate a few hours daily or weekly to improve your natural qualities.
Simply listen to podcasts, watch videos or take an official course on how to improve these essential qualities — trust us, your time and effort will quickly add up and result in a range of skills that are ready to be used to your advantage.
Learn to rely on others
Understandably, asking for help can be difficult. We sometimes do not want to feel as if we cannot handle a task alone, however, asking for help and relying on others is a very respectable act that can showcase teamwork, trust and reliability.
Not only do two minds work better than one, but relying on someone else can enable you to learn from their experiences, whilst allowing you to have an insight into potential skills that you may not have learnt yet.
If you are new to the industry then mentoring is a fantastic way of learning quickly, stimulating personal and professional growth. Similarly, if you have had years of experience in your chosen industry then an ideal way of swiftly freshening your skills is to mentor a younger person new to your company.
Either way, finding a sense of support can be tremendously encouraging, and exactly what you may need to become the best leader in your field and to find success in your career.
