02. How to upskill yourself & get promoted in 2023
Six ways to develop the skills you need to get your next role or promotion
Last week, we talked about the skills women need to excel in their careers in today’s economy and workplace. This week, let’s talk about how you can add those skills to your tool kit and potentially take on on a new role or get promoted this year!
Assess your skill set
Before you move forward, you need to figure out where you’re starting. List out what you currently do in your work and then make a parallel list of what skills help you do your job well. If you need ideas, google what soft skills are and skim LinkedIn’s list of technical, business and design skills. Here are some questions to think through:
What problems do I like to solve and what types of work energize me?
What is my unique edge in the industry?
What do people often ask for my help with?
If I was to write a job description and hire my replacement, what skills and experience would they need to do my job?
Which of my current skill sets are transferable, and which are specific to my current role? Specifically, think of your “hard skills,” soft skills, and technological skills.
What skill sets will help me to become more effective and efficient in my career in the next three to five years?
Figure out what skills you need
Last week, we talked about the top six skills women need to excel in the workplace in 2023. In the meantime, find a job description for the role you want to take on next and then evaluate how well your skills and experience line up with the job description. If you see gaps, list out what skills or experiences you need to develop.
Start a side hustle
Based on the list of skills and experiences you listed that you’d like to develop, is there something you can start outside of work to cultivate those skills? For example, if you put down that you need to become a better communicator, how about starting a newsletter (even if no one but you reads it!) to practice writing more clearly and strategically?
Or, if you want to become more creative, is there a hobby you can take backup to exercise those creative ideas of yours? Alternatively, if there is a new industry or role that you want to transfer to next, can you start learning, writing about and doing that type of work and in that industry in your free time? Even if it’s an hour a week - that little by little adds up.
Identify stepping stone opportunities in your current job
Are there opportunities in your current job to start learning the skills and gaining the experience you need to get to your next desired role? For example, maybe your firm is piloting a new technology - can you volunteer or apply to join the initiative and learn those tech skills you’ll need in your next role?
Alternatively, can you start utilizing those desired skills in your current job? For example, if you want to become proficient in AI technologies, can you volunteer to lead a task force on how your company or firm can use AI? Or, can you meet up with someone doing what you want to do for some peer coaching once a month?
Learn from those who have the skills you want to obtain
I’m trying to learn as much as I can about digital trends, thought leadership and content creation, so I've subscribed to dozens of newsletters on this topic. I’m reading books and taking online courses on these topics. I follow on social media the people who are the thought leaders in what I want to be better at (LinkedIn is a good place to learn from thought leaders!). So, go find the people who are good at what you want to be good at and then learn all that you can from them.
As you learn, talk about it. Share what you’re picking up with your co-workers and bosses. Connect the dots from what you’re learning to how it could benefit your team, projects, and firm/company.
Become a versatilist
Versatilists are those who are able to adapt to change easily, take in new information easily and are continually developing new skills. They generally delve into a variety of projects, resulting in a diverse skill set and broad level of experience. It’s exactly the type of person who is going to excel in today’s constantly changing world. Here are tips on how to become a versatilist.
According to a McKinsey survey, 80 percent of C-suite executives worldwide think reskilling at scale is a concern and a priority, but only 16 percent of private-sector business leaders feel “very prepared” to address potential skill gaps. Don’t wait for executives to figure out how to upskill and reskill their employees. Take ownership of your skill set and career and start developing the skills that will keep you ahead of the curve.
Until next time,
YPS
P.S. If you’re within the first five years of your career and want my blueprint on how to take your career to the next level, I’m sharing everything I wish I knew when I started working at a big 4 accounting firm here.