Skills power your career. They are what keep you moving forward to new opportunities. Think of skills as the fuel that runs the engine of career goals, driving you along the career path. Without them, you can’t get far. And the better you build skills, the further you can go. Keeping your skills sharp is essential to get promoted or stay relevant in a field.
This guide will explain why skills matter and how to develop them effectively.
Why skills matter
Today, professionals and leaders must adopt a growth mindset—an open, proactive approach to learning and evolving. This means consistently improving your skills and staying on top of industry trends. By committing to upskilling, you are not just keeping up but staying ahead. Without the right skills, you might find yourself stuck or moving slowly. With the right skills, you are accelerating in:
- Adaptability. The job market is constantly shifting, and so are the priorities of employers. More than ever, companies seek candidates with specialized skills tailored to their unique needs. The days when general skills could catch an employer’s eye are fading. By mastering the sought-after, industry-specific skills, you stand out as the best fit for your current or desired role.
- Value as a professional. To give yourself a competitive edge, identify what is in demand. Then, invest your time and energy in developing those areas. By focusing on the skills that matter most, you will not only enhance your career prospects but also position yourself as a valuable asset in an organization or in the labor market.
- Career advancement. Skills are the cornerstone of a successful career. They help you perform your job efficiently. But the real magic happens when you grow your skills—it can lead to a better salary, a leadership position, or the chance to take on thrilling projects. Skills development prepares you for future roles and opens doors to career opportunities you might not have considered.
Consider the example of a mid-level software developer who had been stuck in their role for three years. Recognizing that many higher positions required knowledge of cloud computing, they decided to enroll in a cloud computing course, complete several projects, and earn a certification. Within four months, this proactive effort led to a promotion to a senior developer role with a significant pay raise.
Difference between upskilling, reskilling, and skills development
- Upskilling means improving existing skills within your current role or industry to strengthen your expertise or take on new responsibilities with targeted training. An example is a UI/UX designer mastering a new advanced AI prototyping tool to work on more complex projects within their company.
- Reskilling takes more radical action. It’s about building a new skill set for a role that entirely differs from your previous roles. Take an administrative assistant who becomes a project coordinator after training in project management methodologies. Another example can be an HR specialist transitioning into a Learning & Development (L&D) role by acquiring new skills in instructional design and e-learning technologies.
- Skills development is a general, broader process of gaining new skills and improving existing ones. This approach refers to continuous learning and a wider range of skills across various areas. Imagine a marketing professional learning coding and data visualization to better analyze campaign performance and create interactive reports. While their primary role doesn’t require these technical skills, gaining them allows for more effective communication of data-driven insights. Another example for a marketer could be taking a project management course to deepen their organizational skills that serve well in various work environments.
Transferable skills as a basis for expanding expertise
Transferable skills are the abilities and talents you can carry from one role to another, regardless of the industry. They are not limited to a single job but come in handy across different sectors. Basically, these are skills you can take with you wherever you go. Common examples are problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and time management skills, which are soft skills. Hard skills can apply as well. They make you adaptable to changes in case a career shift happens.
How to identify your transferable skills?
- Review past or current roles: what skills did you use or do you use that could apply to other roles?
- Self-assessment tools: try career coaching services like the Amy human potential platform to help identify your core transferable skills.
- Consider non-work experiences: skills gained from volunteering or hobbies can also be transferable.
Let’s review the success story of transferable skills—an English teacher transitioning to a tech writer. A teacher showcased their skills in English language, lesson planning, and mentoring. In addition, the ability to explain complex concepts clearly made them a perfect fit for a new role.
Transferable skills can make you a strong candidate for promotions or new roles that require a broader skill set. Skills like tech skills—basic coding, data analysis, and digital marketing—are becoming valuable across many fields.
To sum up, seeking extra training in areas that complement your mastery can accelerate your path to career success. But how to figure out skill gaps?
How to identify the right skills and map them to your career plan?
Before you start developing new skills, identify the ones that will have an impact on your career:
- Assess your current skills. Start by taking a good look at your hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the technical abilities you have picked up, while soft skills are things like teamwork and communication. The trick is finding out how these skills match the field you aim for. Ask yourself reflective questions. What skills do you use daily? Which ones are you comfortable with, and which ones need improvement?
Career coaching tools can be a big help here. For example, Amy Skill Development Plan and Skills Gap Analysis self-assessments can guide you in pinpointing what skills you have, what you are missing, and how to fill those gaps with courses or training programs. - Look at job descriptions and industry trends to better define gaps in your skill set. If you have a specific role or promotion in mind, review the job descriptions for that position. What skills are repeatedly mentioned? What skills are you missing?
Industry trends also support upskilling. Are there emerging skills or technologies becoming essential in your field?
At this stage, don’t forget your transferable skills. By clearly connecting your experience—whether in a new domain or not—to your desired role, you can then focus on acquiring the additional skills needed. - Seek feedback. Your colleagues or mentors might highlight talents you haven’t considered. You can ask a manager for a planned evaluation to spot skills together and map them to your career plan.
- Outline your upskilling strategy for learning. Look at various education and training opportunities to fill in your gaps. Once you have pinpointed the knowledge gaps, design a learning path to address them or ask your company’s HR or L&D specialist to assist. Decide which skills to tackle first, what will come next, and the best resources or platforms to acquire these skills.
- Map skills to a career plan. Summarize skill gaps for upskilling or reskilling by mapping them to your short-term and long-term career goals. Specify resources based on learning strategy and timing. Add educational and training options to close gaps. Outline a structured curriculum and expected results. Some companies provide access to career development programs or upskilling platforms. Ask your HR representative or your manager about any available offerings.
How to develop the skills mapped?
Skills for career development require actions. Here is how to build your skills:
- Follow your career plan and goals. Work towards your defined goals and measure your progress accordingly.
- Take professional development courses. Online platforms offer courses on many skills. Look for ones with good reviews and credible instructors. In addition, benefit from company training. Many companies have experts in different fields who train on specialized skill sets. Check with your manager about what your company offers and which courses fit best for your professional growth.
- Practice regularly. Skills are best built with practice. If you are learning a new tool, use it daily. If it’s public speaking, find opportunities to present at work. If you are someone who thrives with hands-on practice, dive into a project that lets you work on the skills you aim to develop. This can be an existing project at work or an initiative outside the office. This way, you will gradually build a portfolio showcasing your growing expertise.
- Find a mentor. A mentor can provide guidance as you look for relevant resources, share their experiences as they may already have the skills you are working on, and help you navigate challenges as you build new skills.
- Be active with networking. Networking with others in your field can expose you to new ideas and solutions.
- Analyze and improve. Reflect on what went well and what could be done differently for better results.
Keep learning, keep growing—with Amy by your side
Your career is closely tied to your skills. By continuously improving them, you grow in your field, as enhanced skills make you a strong candidate for promotions and leadership positions. If you want to switch roles, learning the required skills for a new initiative can make the transition smoother.
Use Amy human potential platform to identify the skills that matter, commit to learning, and watch the career opportunities unfold.