If you have kids, back to school time can be quite stressful. There’s the struggle to get new routines established, the wrestle to get less than enthusiastic children out of bed early in the morning, the need for new tech and new gear…not to mention the extra stresses and anxiety you may face helping your child cope with new social interactions and dealing with all the unknowns.
But could having the kids back in school potentially free up more of your time to invest in yourself? Or if you are currently ‘child-free’, could September be the month when you take the plunge and send yourself ‘back to school’? If so, you’d better get planning!
Devoting a few hours every week to advancing your career with an online class or a series of workshops at your local uni could be a very worthwhile investment in your career and your long-term future. But with so many options out there, how do you decide what to focus on? In today’s learning economy and with online learning a booming industry, you’re certainly not be short on choice. Read on for key areas where we feel investing in your skills and knowledge could really reap rewards.
- Learn a language
The ability to communicate in multiple languages is becoming more and more important in the increasingly integrated global business community. Communicating directly with new clients and companies in their native language is one of the first steps to founding a lasting, stable international business relationship. As a multilingual person, you will automatically be miles ahead of your peers in the competition for jobs and high-prestige positions.
- Management and leadership training
Good managers are critical to the effective operation of any business and having the skills and aptitude to manage and lead people for business success will vastly enhance your employment and career opportunities.
- Presentation and public speaking skills
Even if you feel you might not need to make regular presentations in front of a group, there are plenty of situations where good public speaking skills can help you advance your career and create opportunities.
For example, you might have to talk about your organisation at a conference, make a speech after accepting an award, or teach a class to new recruits. Speaking to an audience also includes online presentations or talks; for instance, when training a virtual team, or when speaking to a group of customers in an online meeting.
On the counter side, while good skills can open doors, poor ones can close them. For example, your boss might decide against promoting you after sitting through a badly delivered presentation. You might lose a valuable new contract by failing to connect with a prospect during a sales pitch. Or you could make a poor impression with your new team, because you trip over your words and don’t look people in the eye.
In short, being a good public speaker can enhance your reputation, boost your self-confidence, and open up countless career opportunities.
- Business communication
Communicating effectively is important in every business sector and in everyday life. Although it might seem like we spend our entire working lives looking at a screen of some sort, communication of the verbal kind plays a huge role in business success and will be central to you achieving the career of your dreams. As such, learning how to communicate more effectively, both in business and in life, will allow you to be more efficient and productive and help you to succeed at work.
- Negotiation skills
You need effective negotiation skills to succeed in the world today. Typically, you negotiate every day – in your personal life, social life and business life. In fact, any time you’re communicating with another person, you will potentially be making some sort of negotiation. Consequently, strong negotiation skills are essential for your personal and career success and investing in developing these skills will stand to you for many years to come.
- Social media and digital marketing
We live in a digital age and social media has become central to our daily lives – both personal and business. Having digital marketing and social media management skills is a great benefit to most roles nowadays, not just to marketeers! Having a better understanding of technology, how to use it and how to exploit online opportunities will not only benefit of the company you work for, but will also benefit your career.
- Microsoft and Adobe creative package software skills
Possessing tangible software skills is a great asset in any role. If your ability to use Microsoft software extends to two fingered typing and copy and pasting from an excel sheet, enrolling on an MS training course this September would be an excellent move. Similarly, if you dream of having a job where you can put your creative side to work, the Adobe suite of software for creatives is an excellent skill set to have on your resume.
- Google analytics… if you’re a bit of a tech-head!
Edward Deming famously said “In God we trust; all others must bring data”. In today’s world, data analytics is crucial for measuring success. About 77% of top organizations, according to Edureka career guide, consider data analytics a critical factor of their business growth, and this percentage is only going to grow in the coming years.
With Google Analytics acting as the first port of call for businesses of all shapes and sizes to analyse their online performance, it’s a great choice to get you started on the analytics ladder.
If you would like to enhance your resume but are not sure which additional skills will benefit your career the most, feel free to give us a call on 0161 8203510 or email [email protected]. One of our expert recruitment consultants would be more than happy to have a confidential chat to help put you on the right path.
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