Upskilling to Success

If you're looking to innovate and grow in your professional journey, there's few investments with lifelong returns like personal development. As the world around us is constantly progressing, we must too, in order to advance in our careers and feel successful. Upskilling is a key part of that.

As Tracey Welson- Rossman, founder of TechGirlz and CMO of Chariot Solutions, says, “to be competitive in a modern, digital-first workforce, women will have to learn new skills”.

Let’s make upskilling part of your career success plan. Firstly, let’s dive into where you can start, and some great career strategies you can use.

Getting started with upskilling

Upskilling is the act of improving your skills, knowledge, and attitude. There are many different ways in which you can upskill: through volunteering, being mentored, attending networking events, and going to short-term training. However, not all upskilling is equal. What works for someone else may not work for you, depending on your learning style, passions and priorities, making it crucial to create your own tailored plan for upskilling to success.

Start with identifying your needs. Quantifying them will allow you to create a focused upskilling plan, suited to your own career growth.

People upskill for several reasons, including:

-          For professional development,

-          For career change,

-          For personal development, or

-          To learn new skills.

Once you’ve identified exactly what you’d like to gain from upskilling, you can move onto the next part of your plan: how to gain it.

There are many ways in which you can upskill, but some might be better suited to you. Here are a few routes you could take:

Back to School

“If you’re not learning, you’re falling behind,” says well-known sales strategist Jill Konrath. In our innovative workplace, that especially holds true.

Thankfully, these days, study can be flexible. The pandemic especially has shown us that, with most of the world not being able to study how they used to. You have options far beyond going to university and getting a degree. You can choose to enrol in an online or local education course, allowing you to upskill at your own pace. If you don’t have a large budget to allocate to studying, don’t worry: many of the courses are free. Google especially is known for offering beginner upskilling courses for free.

Top tip: when selecting what type of study to undertake, consider the quality of the training and education being offered. Is it coming from an accredited source? Will it provide you with a certificate upon competition? Ultimately, will it be worth your time?

Select a mentor

“The world is changing constantly and [we] are realizing that it is vital to stay informed of the latest trends and sought-after skills in their industry,” says Nicole Gorton, Director of Robert Half. What better to do that than to receive mentorship from someone who has been in the industry long enough to see these changes happen for themselves? Finding a quality mentor is an often-under-used way to upskill to success, but it can be one of the most rewarding career strategies out there. After all, if they’ve made it, they can help you make it too.

Furthermore, whilst educational activities, such as studying to upskill, provide you with useful theory, mentorship can give you insights that can’t be gained elsewhere. Their unique experience in the industry, and gained knowledge, can help you take the next step in your career success journey.

Top tip: select several individuals who you believe could help you and reach out to them. One great way to do that is through LinkedIn. If you live in the same city, you might consider asking them out for a coffee. Whichever approach you take, asking them for guidance can be a very rewarding upskilling strategy.

Take on new responsibilities

A report from Gartner TalentNeuron outlines that 58% of the workforce will need to upskill to do their jobs successfully. A significant part of that involves taking on new responsibilities. For example, it isn’t enough for a marketing guru to simply be good at copy. They need to understand what happens behind the screen too.

Take it as an opportunity to enhance your talents and identify areas in your current workplace that can be improved. Upskilling in this way, through taking on new projects and learning how to do them along the way, will provide you with valuable learning experience.

Mindset is everything

The best way you can upskill to success is by embracing a change mindset. As Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, says, “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know”. Acknowledging that change must happen to achieve success is just as important as selecting a way to upskill. Ultimately, combining a positive attitude with a focused upskill plan will go a long way in helping you achieve career success.

Written for Empowering a Billion Women, June 21 2021