May 27, 2020

If you’re on the market for a job and want to boost your skills to get hired more quickly, there are many opportunities available. From going back to school to enrolling in a certificate program via online courses, you can constantly be learning and improving to help yourself standout among what’s probably a crowded field of applicants.

According to Forbes, upskilling is a highly important part of your strength as a job candidate. Taking courses and improving your skillsets are one way to accomplish this continuous learning feat.

Why is this the case? “Few people can predict their entire career path. For most, a career is a long and winding road, full of surprising twists and turns, hopefully more positive than negative,” according to Forbes. “Upskilling allows employees to gain knowledge in a new arena in which they may excel. This can lead to previously undiscovered talents, passions and, eventually, career paths leading to even more opportunities.”

Beyond that, it’s important to constantly be learning and improve yourself and your skills because, as Forbes notes, the future is unknown. “Even if an employee loves his or her job, the future is never guaranteed. Industries change, employers are forced to downsize, jobs are replaced by artificial intelligence, etc.,” according to the publication “The best way employees can ensure their future is to increase their value to their employer [and other employers] by expanding their knowledge and skillset.”

So, what types of specific opportunities are available to learn?

First, you can always consider getting an advanced degree in a part-time capacity. Having an MBA or MA either via an in-person or online program can greatly enhance your marketability during job interviews and even when looking to be promoted at your organization.

In fact, research by Northeastern illustrates just how important degrees beyond a bachelor’s can be in today’s job market. “More than 16 million Americans–approximately eight percent of the population–have a master’s degree, representing a 43 percent increase since 2002. While earning a bachelor’s degree used to be enough to establish your career, today this is not the case.”

Plus, there’s data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that illustrates this case even more profoundly: 18 percent of all jobs will require a master’s degree by 2022.

In addition to more traditional education, you should also consider certificate programs that are available online. For instance, LinkedIn offers courses through their LinkedIn Learning program, which includes thousands of topics taught by leaders in their industries. According to LinkedIn Learning’s website, there are over 900 courses in leadership and management topics, over 500 in software development, 400 in business software and more than 650 in data science for you to choose from. Moreover, these courses allow you to earn certificates that you can then add to your LinkedIn profile.

In sum, learning is a huge benefit to your career and your candidacy for a new job in the future. By challenging yourself, you’ll unlock even more of your potential – and you’ll be an all-star candidate in no-time as a result.