Personal Development

I find myself advising my clients to keep their skills current. I ask them about additional training, education, and skill development they can seek out to make themselves more marketable.

But do we heed our own advice? Probably not. Don’t let you or your skills become obsolete. Develop your professional skills to achieve your financial and career goals. But don’t just add new skills willy-nilly. Develop a plan. Lay out a vision of your life and then map out how you’ll achieve that picture.

Here’s some tips to help you develop your game plan for lifelong learning:

• Take an honest look at your worth. Once a year, take a good look at your competence and skills. If they don’t match what your clients need or are asking for, figure out how and where you need to improve. For example: Do you have clients asking for coaching or interview training, and you don't offer these services? Consider training and certification in this area.

• Stay on top of technical skills. Make sure you’re competent on basic applications and have a command of available technology (the Internet, Microsoft Word, and communication devices, to name a couple) to make you more efficient. Stay abreast of technological change by reading relevant publications.

• Make upgrading your skills a priority. That means accepting lifelong learning as a principle. Take classes online, go back to school or take continuing education classes applicable to your job or the job you want. Check out the teleclasses offered through several of the professional resume writing associations.

• Get a mentor. Look for someone who will help you navigate the political arena and help direct your professional development. Look for someone who also has a proven track record of advancement, skill and knowledge.

— Adapted from Black Enterprise