For workers re-entering the workforce or considering a career change, the problems arise when deciding which skills to train in, Andrew O’Hare of Pitman Training Centre Naas gives the following tips in helping you take your future into your own hands and gaining back the confidence redundancy make have taken away.
TAKE YOUR FUTURE IN YOUR OWN HANDS
1. Make a list of what you enjoyed about your previous position, what were your strengths in your job, what skill did people seek you out for help. Once you’ve identified what particular skills you enjoyed and were confident in you’re on your way to strengthening these and perhaps identify roles were these strengths are required. For example if you found you were the organiser in your company perhaps secretarial work would be enjoyable for you. If you found you were the fixer of all things technical perhaps looking into business management systems may be an option.
2. Not all redundancies mean you must consider a complete change in career. If your company kept some employees on board and let others, like yourself go, look at what skills they may possess that you could up skill in.
3. Cross Training can make you more employable. Adding to your skill set may make you more flexible in positions are thereby more valuable to a company. For example a sales person who also has marketing skills, or a personal assistant who also has book keeping knowledge.
4. Look at your weaknesses. We all hate to admit it but there are things we can’t do well or more likely feel we can’t do. If there are areas you always hid under the desk to avoid in your previous job, now is the time to get proper training. If you shivered at the thought of answering customer complaints or went pale at the thought of creating budgets in Excel, proper training could turn these into strengths.
5. Get certified. Employers have a choice of who to take for a job. Even if you have some experience from previous roles, the current climate dictates that you must have the qualification to back it up.
6. Don’t rule anything out. Be open minded as to what you can do, check with a Pitman course advisor as to what roles are available and how your experience can fit in. Sometimes there is a link you would never find yourself.
7. Training will boost your self esteem and can give you the confidence to apply for positions you wouldn’t have before.
Sources: 1. “Tech employers are using downturn to retrain staff,” November 26, 2008, Silicon Republic – http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11855/cio/tech-employers-are-using-downturn-to-retrain-staff 2. “UK managers ‘retraining for new jobs’”, February 2009, LearnDirect – http://www.learndirect.co.uk/businessinfo/newsupdates/news/all/2009/february/2916250/
About Pitman Training
Pitman Training is the largest independent training network in Ireland and one of the world’s leading office skills and computer training organisations. Recently Pitman Training has reopened a branch of their highly successful global training organisation in Limerick – a move that will create five jobs in the city.
