In your search you are going to come across a lot of jobs that sound fantastic, but have skill requirements that you just don’t feel like you meet. Don’t let this discourage you! In the world today, there are almost endless opportunities to gain those skills while off the job. This post will be about doing exactly that- expanding your skill repertoire without having a job that facilitates it.
A great place to start is through volunteer work. This one is fantastic because it is free, it looks fantastic on CVs, and it also feels really good. If you are behind the times on your knowledge of Excel, or other mandatory office software- volunteer in the offices of a non-profit. There you will get the experience of working with standard office software, without having to deal with the pressure of learning those skills in a traditional job environment. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities like this, no matter what skill you are looking to hone.
Let’s say you’ve trolled through the volunteer ads, and you’ve come up with nothing. Then next, look for an internship. Internships are a lot like intense volunteering. The drawback is that you usually have to work a lot harder. The payoff is that you learn a lot more- and you learn it more quickly. Sometimes you even get paid a little bit for it! Interning while in-between jobs is the perfect time to do it. When you return to the traditional working world you will have learned the skills to make you an effective employee.
But maybe there are no volunteer or internship opportunities where you are. Fear not! There are still more options. School is alive and well for non-degree seeking students, and might be the perfect place to start. Online classes exist for pretty much every conceivable topic. Schools like MIT and Harvard have started offering their courses for free online. Though you won’t receive credit from those institutions, you will walk away with the knowledge of a MIT or Harvard student. There are also plenty of online universities (which generally cost money), that will offer courses with credit, giving you the ability to prove that you have the skills that you’ll acquire through these classes.
There is always the chance that you are also not a fan of online learning, making it seem like your options have run out. But wait! There’s more! There are still brick and mortar universities and community colleges. If you live near your old school, reach out to old professors and see if they will let you audit classes. Auditing is a great way to get the information you need, without having to log the time, money, and effort it takes to actually take the class.
Finally you can always ask for on the job training. Many employers offer this, especially to candidates that seem like good fits but may be lacking a little bit of the skill set.
Don’t let your perceived lack of experience deter you from applying for jobs that you want! There are just too many options out there to learn what you need to learn. Before you ignore that next job opportunity, look into these options and see if you can find what it takes to get the job you want!