Online and in the personal development world, ‘upskilling’ seems to be the word of the moment. The dictionary defines it as the “process of learning new skills or teaching workers new skills”. Key to what we’ll be delving into in this post is the word ‘skills’ – not qualifications, not certificates but skills. Upskilling isn’t going back to college or even attending evening classes, necessarily. The thing about upskilling is that it’s a flexible way to learn and is usually undertaken digitally, in your own time. High potential employees who are stagnated, bored, clamoring for a promotion or itching to career-jump are the ideal poster kids for upskilling their way up the ladder.
But what else can you do to help increase your chances of promotion?
1. Work out what it is you really want
Before you start looking to 2020 with big aspirations and goals, take some time to work out what those are in detail. Do you want an entirely new role? Are you looking for new challenges in your current role? Or are you aiming high and setting your sights on a promotion?
Once you’ve nailed down exactly what it is you’re aiming for, you can start to examine the gap between your goal and your current position.
2. Work out why you’re not getting it
Examine your resume: where could you bolster your skills-base or previous experience to put you on the right track? Perhaps your experience and previous job roles have perfectly prepared you for the next step, but you’re lacking in confidence. Maybe your interview skills need some brushing up on, or you haven’t been getting the right training from your current company. Don’t be too critical of yourself, but do some industry research to help focus your efforts.
3. Start by positioning yourself better
A lot of the promotion game is about confidence and executive presence. From how you hold yourself and how you dress, to how effectively you communicate and deliver presentations. Your educational background isn’t the be all and end all – progression often comes down to negotiation, tenacity and grit! Develop a ‘don’t ask, don’t get’ attitude – could it be possible that no one even knows you’re on the hunt for a promotion?
4. Show initiative
One of the most underrated personality traits is that old resume cliche: the ‘self-starter’. But, it’s still a surefire way to stand out. The World Economic Forum estimates that more than half of all employees will require significant reskilling by 2022 – so what if you were appropriately reskilled by the end of 2020? What’s more, what if you did it on your own time. Companies value employees that focus on what they can offer their job role – not what the company can offer them. If you’re not relying on company time to upskill yourself, that personal development will not go to waste. Like a gift that keeps on giving, improving your executive skills is for life – skills take you from job role to job role, and even permeate your personal life. I mean, who doesn’t want to be better at communicating what they want?
5. Package yourself up!
Now you know what you want, why you don’t have it and where you need to improve, it’s time to build the final product – YOU! You can’t change your life overnight, but you can start making strides towards the future you desire… right now. Start searching for digital courses you can take from home, specifically targeted to your focus areas.