Do you need to review your skills portfolio?
If you're thinking about changing career, you need to look at your skills. As a result of changes in the workplace and technological change there is a greater need for highly qualified and experienced people who keep up to date with technology and regularly update their skills. Do you have the skills and qualifications required for the career you are considering?
How do you know what skills are required?
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Read job advertisements for the sorts of jobs that attract you - what skills are regularly demanded?
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Keep in touch with professional issues and advances through professional magazines/journals
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Contact the relevant professional institution for information about industry standards
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Check with your People resources such as career mentors and alumni
Familiarise yourself with employability skills and the evidence that you would use to demonstrate these skills.
Are you lacking any skills?
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Making presentations
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Handling budgets
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Using foreign languages
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Customer focus
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Health and safety awareness
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Computer skills: are you familiar with standard IT packages - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email and internet? Do you need knowledge of specialist IT software such as computer aided design?
How can you gain those skills?
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Training course through current work - go to I want to develop my skills
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Evening class - your current employer may pay costs if the course is relevant to your current work
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Distance learning enables you to work in your own time and at your own pace. The Open University runs a variety of professional courses in this way - see Information resources
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gain skills through your interests and voluntary work. These are just as valid as skills gained through paid employment
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Volunteer to take on extra responsibility in your current post - eg health and safety
