How to Refresh Your Job Skills

If you haven't been in the working world for a while, for whatever reason, you probably need to refresh your skills or add some new ones in order to make yourself attractive to potential employers. What skills do you need to get back into the workforce? What skills do you already have that may just need to be polished a bit?

Let's look at first things first. Take stock of what you already know and skills you already have. Some of these skills may be as seemingly obscure as being organized. But organization takes skill and not everyone is organized or even has a clue how to be organized. What other skills fit into this category? How about excellent spelling and grammar, planning and organizing events from small meetings to large gatherings? What about the skill of being able to effectively interact with many different types of people at different levels? You might be asking yourself how you would even come by these skills without "working". Well, you come by them by participating in community clubs and organizations, what about your place of worship or places where you volunteer like the local elementary school or the nearby hospital? All these activities lead to developing and maintaining skills that are desirable to employers. Can you write an excellent business letter? Did you recruit volunteers for the community food drive? These things are all very valuable. Maybe in a previous job you worked on a computer and you are familiar with certain programs, even if you aren't well versed in the updated versions of those programs. Maybe you are a fast and accurate typist. Maybe you spent a lot of time of the phone dealing with customers and you've developed a very polite and diplomatic manner. What about writing the company newsletter, or even the family newsletter. These are marketable skills. Take time to really think through what you know.

Once you've taken stock of what you already have, you can look at where you may need to fill in the blanks and brush up. Do you need to update your knowledge of certain versions of software? How about new software? There are online tutorials that can be found on virtually all programs. You need only to look for them. You can also find tutorials and articles on how to write and format a top-notch letter, or any number of other topics. Or you can take a class or seminar. These are usually fairly inexpensive, quite comprehensive and are offered through community education, nearby colleges and online. You should make every effort to research what employers are looking for in the types of jobs you're interested in. Make a list of what you need and start working on accomplishing that. In the meantime, see about taking a part-time or freelance position that will utilize existing skills while adding experience and knowledge. You'll be on the road to rewarding employment in no time.

Laura Spawn-Owner of VirtualVocations.com
http://www.virtualvocations.com