Job Training to Set You Apart From the Competition

When you were a child and wanted to learn how to tie your shoes, ride a bike or recite the alphabet, you most likely needed a little bit of help to achieve your goals.  Parents and teachers were available to put you through your paces, provide instructions and to train you in the fine art of ABC’s and wheelies off the curb.  

Entering the job market isn’t all that different than learning how to tighten the laces on your first pair of sneakers.  In today’s competitive job market, candidates will often have certain foundational certification or skills requirements.  In addition, advanced training in critical areas can help give you a leg up on the employment seeking competition.  Not all training is created equal, however.  Here we break down a few fundamental aspects of job training to set you apart from the competition.

Communication Skills

In today’s increasingly interactive world, even the most desk-centric job will likely require advance communication and interaction with customers or peers.  Whether shooting off an email over that complicated HR scenario or leaving a concise message for the latest restock order, the ability to clearly and efficiently communicate is an asset to employers and employees alike.  

Getting this training is often times an on-the-job type of deal.  Various online courses, however, do offer advanced communication skills workshops.  Learning how to structure sentences for the most impact, how and when to use colloquialisms and strategies for getting straight to the point without appearing rude or curt, can all give you a heads up in your job search, whatever your chosen field may be.

Tech Skills

It’s hard to envision a modern business that doesn’t use technology to help interact with customers or streamline their money-making endeavors.  It would only make sense, then, that businesses would have a preference for candidates that come pre-loaded with a host of technological certifications or skills.  

The trick to training in this category is to determine which types of programs or technology will be most utilized in your chosen career field.  For some job-seekers, advanced training in word processing suites may be more than enough to make the hiring manager’s eyes light up in appreciation.  Other companies or positions may require advanced programming or database knowledge before they’re impressed.  

Leadership Skills

Maybe you’ve been told that you’re a born leader or manage to exude confidence in every scenario.  Without specialized training designed specifically to hone these skills for the job place, however, claims that you’re above average in the leadership department are likely to fall on a hiring manager’s deaf ears.

Don’t presume, either, that just because the position doesn’t call for supervisory experience that the ability to lead a team won’t be a trait your company values.  Savvy businesses seek out employees for the long term and are constantly on the lookout for candidates to innovate and who may be future heads, chiefs, and executives.  Brush up on your leadership skills with a little outside training and help your prospective employer picture you in the manager’s or c-suite, eventually.

Article Updated from the Original on January 24, 2018

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