In the Driver’s Seat: Upskilling in a Down Hiring Market
Right now, we’re seeing a lot of concerning trends in the workforce. We’re seeing a massive amount of layoffs, hiring freezes in many industries, and talent shortages across the board.
Needless to say, upskilling has never been more critical. But what is upskilling?
Upskilling is when you acquire new or additional skills to enhance your existing skill set or to gain new expertise in a different area. You’re expanding your knowledge, abilities, and competencies through various learning opportunities, such as training programs, workshops, courses, or on-the-job learning experiences.
Of course, this is something that many of us are continuously doing. We’re learning new skills either on our own or in the workplace that we can then add to our resume if we want to leave one role for another. But upskilling goes even further than that. Upskilling is typically done to keep pace with evolving technology, industry trends, or changing job requirements. It allows individuals to stay relevant, improve their employability, advance their careers, and adapt to the evolving demands of the modern workplace.
What Is An Example of Upskilling?
Upskilling can encompass technical skills related to a specific field or industry and soft skills like communication, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability, which are valuable across a wide range of various professions.
For example, let’s consider a software developer who is worried about the tech layoffs that are happening. In order to give themselves the best chance at keeping their job, they might:
Learn a new programming language
Master a new framework or library
Acquire cloud computing skills
Develop data analysis abilities
Enhance project management skills
If this software developer pursues one or more of these avenues for upskilling, they’re not only expanding their skill set, they’re increasing their marketability and making it easier to access a broader range of job opportunities in their field, should they lose their employment in a layoff.
Four Accessible Upskilling Options to Try
Are you interested in growing your marketable skills? It’s never a bad idea! Here are four easy and accessible ways you can lean into upskilling without burning yourself out in the process:
#1 - Try Out Online Learning
There are so many great eLearning platforms out there like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning. They have thousands of course options and many of them require little to no investment other than your time. They’re also great because you can go at your own pace so if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t have time to put into an online course one week, you can skip it and just do a little more the following week when things calm down.
#2 - Join a Local Association
Most cities have professional associations or organizations that you can join that will offer networking opportunities and access to workshops, seminars, and conferences. Some examples are your local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club International, or SCORE. I have an older blog post with some helpful networking tips if the idea of putting yourself out there feels intimidating, but I promise, you’re going to be so glad you took this step.
#3 - Do Some Volunteer Work
Have you ever wanted to gain some new experience in a particular area, but every job that you find requires you to already have experience? It’s a frustrating Catch-22, but volunteering is a great way to get around it. You can try your hand at some new skills while also making a positive impact on your community. Then, once you feel confident in these new skills, you can add them to your resume and start the process of securing that new role!
#4 - Dive Into Some Side Projects
Who says you can’t do a little upskilling at home around your schedule? Start by checking out books, podcasts, or videos related to the area you want to learn about, then practice those new skills as you work on a side project. For example, if you want to learn graphic design, find some YouTube videos and follow along as you create your own children’s book. Or, start a podcast about starting a podcast. Have fun with it and see what happens!
Is upskilling something that you’ve been thinking about doing? Have you already done a little of it? I would love to hear what things you’ve tried or what things you’re doing or thinking of doing!