Skills upgrading

How often do we need skills upgrading?

Due to market’s stiff competition, professional requirements are escalating continuously: employees need to equip them selves with new skills – qualifications, and polish existing ones, in order to stay competitive, and prevent being “Technical handicapped”. Such upgrade will be needed, if you want to

1. Start a new job / career

2. Stay in your current job, and shield your self against competition.

3. Progress to higher position, in your current job or new job.


For this, let us explore this matter further, as follows:

• Skills upgrading definition:

Let us define it first, so we can understand its scope better. Skills upgrading is staying abreast of latest changes, in your industry, which directly impacts your job’s requirements and credentials, as most skills have short life cycle (which is evident to all nowadays).

• When to upgrade your skills

To upgrade effectively, we should know when is the appropriate time, to do so, to achieve desired results. I would like to propose the following signs, which if you find them in your orbit, you should consider upgrading your skills, to maintain your skills arsenals competitiveness:

Organizational needs. Is your organization (org) expanding or reducing its operational scope. For example, if your org is expanding, and such expansion requires new mangers to be assigned. Given this opportunity, do you have the needed skills, at desired proficiency, to be a short listed candidate? If not, it is time to find out where you lack, and define your gap analysis, and get started, and keep in mind that opportunities only seized by qualified people, and there is no opportunity “waiting list”!!

Industry evolution. Is the industry which you work in evolves continuously, like IT and finance. Change is today’s reality, and it is the inevitable, which we can’t escape. So, if you have on going change in your industry, you should follow up such change and align your self with it, so we are upgraded accordingly. For example, Industry’s evolution has introduced the concept of certification, which reflects specialization, and knowledge authenticity.

Paid less than your peers, for doing the same work. This is an easy one to spot. If yourself and other colleagues, are doing the same work nature and load, yet they are getting paid more than you. This might agitate and de-motivate us. But thinking this way, is reactive and passive in nature, and does not warrant any development. But to handle it proactively, we should find out why such difference? what qualifications / skills we lack compared to them? Benchmark ourselves to the desired standard, and fill the gap, if any. I know some keep say “wasta – nepotism”, I agree but this is not a universal case to argue, because we can not generalize it all over all jobs. One more thought on wasta, it is an easy excuse to be lazy and change nothing: Be PROACTIVE, and think a head.

If not involved in the process, and your peers are. Another easy spotted sign. There are some projects / assignments which require specific skills. Obviously, we should ask our selves if we have such skills or not. For example, using excel, financial analysis, and so on.

• How to upgrade your skills:

Identify the skill, which you want to upgrade / improve, based on the identified needs.

Identify intervention needed, to improve – equip, by considering the below list:

• Attending traditional training courses. This option is effective if you want a fast learning experience.
• University degree: obtain a university degree. This option is effective if you want to establish an academic background, and take it as a base for further advanced studies.
• Certification: Get certified in desired field. This option is effective if you want to be specialized in a particular field, and establish solid practical background.
• E-learning: easiest learning method, because you can do it at your free time, and any where. This method can be used in the following ways:

                   1. Completing an elearning course before attending a related training course, to get oriented
                       about the topic, and have a background when attending the formal training.
                   2. Completing an e-learning course after attending a related training course, to act as a refresher 
                       for the training attended, and improve memory retention.
                   3. Complete an e-learning course, for awareness purposes, about desired topics, in general.

• Be careful about the following traps:

Check training provider’s credibility, for the selected upgrading method, in term of:

              • Specialization: is this provider specialized in the desired skill(s), which you desire to upgrade, or 
                 just a provider, which has “1 size fits all”!

              • How long has been delivering such service? Is this provider reputable in delivering such skill(s)
                development, or has a generic service level?

Check trainer’s credibility in the desired skill(s) upgrade:

              • Is he specialized in the selected skill(s)?

              • Has s/he practiced the desired skill(s) previously, to add his / her personal experience and 
                practicality?

              • Does s/he has a qualified background, to conduct such development activity: has academic and 
                professional background?

Check pre-requisites / requirements, for the upgrading method, which you select, and keep in mind:

• The time frame for the upgrading process, to complete effectively. For example, CFA certification could take up to 3 years, and PHR could take up to 1 year.
• What are the requirement for such upgrading: any specific matters, like academic degree, number of experience years, English language, and etc.

Check the cost element:

• How much it costs you to upgrade successfully?
• Is the cost which you will pay, worth the expected outcome of the upgrading process?

One final thought, skills upgrading is an investment, rather than an expense, because benefits will follow after.

Hope the above is helpful, and until my next blog.

Nizar Baidoun