Developing Your Skills

Introduction
Getting a graduate job, becoming familiar with the work and doing it well is a good start to your career, but to make the most of your abilities, to make progress in your career, and to have control over the direction your career takes, you need to do more. You need to ensure that your skills are noticed and valued both within the organisation you work for and outside it. The way you project your skills is part of your career management, as the impact you make on others will determine how far and how fast you progress in your job.

Your career goals
Your first objective is to work out exactly what you want to achieve in your working life, both short- and long-term. Do you want to get on the promotion ladder of your current company and be MD by the time you're 30? Or do you want to make sure you're in line for a good pay rise? Do you want to get as much experience as you can in your current job in order to get a better job elsewhere? Whether it's money, promotion, improved prospects, or more varied work, something must be motivating you to develop yourself and use all available opportunities to your career advantage. That 'something' is your goal - that's where you want to be.

Creating the right image
One of the best ways to achieve your goals is to get noticed by the right people, for the right reasons. How you are noticed?how others perceive you?is your 'image'. Think of it as your skills package and how you present it. Image is not just to do with how you look, but is about your attitudes, expectations, abilities and how you manage relationships at work.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How well organised am I?
• Am I a good timekeeper?
• Do people trust me?
• What are my leisure interests?
• How do I cope with pressure?
• How do I react in meetings?
• How do I keep myself well informed?
• How do I react to criticism?
• How do I get on with colleagues, my boss, customers?
• How do I adapt to new situations?
• Do people listen to my ideas?
• Do people remember my name?

The answers to these questions and others like them will give you a good idea of how you fit into your workplace. You can then see where your weaknesses let you down and what the 'problem aspects' of the image you're projecting are.

Practical steps
When you have a good idea of your present talents and strengths, you can see how these fit in with your career aims. You should build on your strengths and eliminate any bad habits that stop you performing. The aspects to concentrate on are those that most affect your work. So if you have several skills that need improving, choose to tackle first the one that will make the most difference to your performance in your current job.

Depending on what your weaknesses are you might be able to improve with a bit of simple application - e.g. setting your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier so you can get in on time. On the other hand, if you really lack a necessary skill like using computer software or understanding the essential techniques of your profession, you might need to look for more formal training opportunities.

You also need to present your strengths in the best possible light, so they become an important part of your image. Don't underestimate any skill you have that is of benefit to others. Highlight it by improving on it and drawing attention to it through demonstration. That way you will be subtly making sure as many people as possible appreciate it.

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