Skills Upgrade: How to Stay Employable

By Brent M Jones

I will let you in on a little secret.

Like many bloggers, when I go to compose a new article that I intend to syndicate and share across the web in article directories, on forums, and through various social media outlets, I start first with a Google Keyword search. I want to know what job-seekers are after on the web.

My intentions in writing this article are to talk about ways to boost your employable skills and marketability to potential employers even before you need to find a job. In other words, a “skills upgrade.” But here is the scary part.

According to Google Keywords, there are just over 22,000 global monthly Google searches for the phrase “employable skills.” That is compared to 1,500,000 global monthly Google searches for the phrase “find a job.” To put that into perspective with two examples, the unemployment rate in the United States is just over 8%. In Canada, it is just over 7%. That means that in both markets, there is an employment rate greater than 90%. Yet people looking for a job outnumber those looking to stay employable by roughly 68:1.

I know these numbers are approximate at best, but they serve to illustrate a scary reality – most people who have a job do not stop to think about staying employable. And why should they? It is human nature to be lulled into a false sense of security while we are working. That is why so many people live pay check to pay check, never stopping to consider what would happen if they were to suddenly lose their job. According to the last statistic I heard, less than 5% of Canadians (I live in Canada) will save any money whatsoever this year. That is an alarming statistic.

We all know of a middle-aged person who has suddenly lost his or her job, found him or herself unemployable in their particular industry, and forced to restart a career from the ground up. I watched this happen to my father as I was growing up. After working in the same position for more than 20 years, he suddenly found himself out of work one day and needing to restart his career well into his forties. Needless to say, it wasn’t easy. As the expression goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Regardless of how confident you may be in your current position, I am going to outline three important and simple ideas to help you remain marketable.

Keep your skills up-to-date.

I personally know a woman who was laid off from her position in graphic design. Although she was devastated, it did not come as a big surprise to me. She completed her education in graphic design in the 1970?s, and I think it goes without saying that a lot has changed in that industry over the past 40 years. Perhaps the more obvious concern was despite a nice salary and decades to do it, she did not engage in any external upgrading or re-certification aside from what her employer was prepared to pay for.

One thing I would like to make clear, as I have in other posts, is that an employer gives you a job – but is it up to you to build a career. Do not wait for your employer to pay for you to get more technical training behind you, or to advance your skills. Take an evening course at a community college. Take a course through correspondence. Learn a new skill through an apprenticeship, a mentor program, etc. Volunteer to do an internship part-time elsewhere to acquire new skills. Heck, even read a book on your own. It is better than nothing! Constantly keep learning. The last thing you want to do is find yourself out of work one day with your most recent set of skills acquired decades ago. If this happens, despite your vast levels of experience, you will find yourself competing with new graduates for entry level positions.

Constantly keep up-to-date on the job market.

Do you have your resume up-to-date? I should hope so. Be prepared.

Even if you are content in your current position and you have no intention of leaving, always be aware of what jobs are in high demand and who is hiring. Check out classifieds, both print and online services like Craigslist. When a friend tells you about what he or she is doing for work, ask if their company is hiring. Attend local career fairs. See what programs are filling up at colleges and universities in your area.

Two of the easiest ways to stay job-market-ready are by creating profiles on LinkedIn and Monster. Keeping a copy of your resume online and publicly searchable is an easy way to acquire contacts and learn who is after the skills that you have. There is nothing wrong with doing this. Some people seem to feel that if their current employer found out, it could somehow compromise their well-being in their current position. Not at all. It is in fact quite the opposite. It indicates to your current employer that you are in fact marketable, have options, and that you are a commodity to them.

I am not trying to encourage you to job hop, but I do not think it is in poor taste to attend an interview or two while currently employed. Always keep your options open. Plus, imagine the confidence you would have going into an interview for a job you really don’t need! This leads to my third point.

Networking.

Have you ever heard that it’s not what you know but who you know?

This isn’t true in all cases, but it certainly can be with job-hunting. I have been hired by more companies because someone I knew was aware of my skills than by submitting a resume. After all, why would a hiring manager sift through 1000 resumes when they could just pick up the phone and call you in for an interview?

There are a variety of ways to make contacts in your particular industry. It can be as simple as going out for drinks with friends who work with a competitor, attending a local Chamber of Commerce meeting to mingle, or making connections through online forums or job sites pertaining to your industry.

Another great place to start is by staying in constant communication with references from your past jobs or other endeavors. Having been a reference for others numerous times, I can’t tell you how often I would hear from a past employee asking for a reference and at no other time. This doesn’t foster a very personal relationship. Pick up the phone and call your references at least once every three months. Ask them how they are doing, how business is going, what new information they have heard in your industry, who is hiring, etc. These former employers can be a vast wealth of information for you.

The more important thing to take away from this article can be summed up with a quote from Jim Collins who says, “Good is the enemy of great.” It is not good enough to simply be employed right now. You need to be ready for anything. Maybe it is time you ask yourself if you are due for a skills upgrade.

Brent Jones lives in Toronto, Canada and spent the majority of his professional career in recruiting and sales. He currently offers job-seekers advice through JobGettingTips.com.

He is also the author of the successful eBook ’7 Fatal Mistakes Made by Most Job Applicants.’ It is available for free download by clicking here.

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