Focus on Your Skills, Not the Job Title

You are more than your job title — a lot more. Unfortunately, most people get so hung up on their title that they miss an ocean of opportunities waiting for them. The key is to look beyond what you call yourself — an accountant, engineer, customer associate, administrator — and focus on all the skills that you’ve learned during your career. 

While you use those skills in your current role, it’s likely not the only place you can use that knowledge. A person who is skilled in interpersonal communications as a customer associate at a retail store can also put that to use in a number of other roles. 

If you’re job searching, or trying to level up in your career, it can be helpful to think in terms of all those skills, rather than job titles. Today’s guest, LinkedIn Learning instructor Marielle Legair, joined Andrew in the studio to get to the bottom of how to do a skills inventory and make sure you’re letting your hard-earned skills shine when you apply to new jobs.

Ask for Feedback

It can be difficult to see all your wonderful accomplishments in an impartial light. So ask a friend or colleague to help you make a list of all of your skills. As Marielle told Andrew, “feedback is really, really crucial for anybody looking for a job.”

Fill in the Gaps

If you know that your target field requires some skills that you don’t yet have, begin to fill in the gaps. Marielle suggests starting with free online learning platforms, like Google, LinkedIn Learning, or YouTube, and absorbing information that will help you grow your career.

Develop an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Even if you’re not currently on the job market, you still want to keep your skills sharp and up-to-date. Marielle’s advice? Have a quarterly check-in with yourself to make sure that you’re keeping up with industry trends and new technologies.

Network, Network, Network 

As Marielle likes to say, “your network is your net worth.” But beware of asking for things from the people you meet without offering something in return. Even offering an informational article or podcast that’s relevant to someone’s work is a helpful conversation starter. 

Follow Marielle on LinkedIn

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn and join the Get Hired community at https://lnkd.in/ghpodcast