My Top 3: Strategies for Ongoing Learning & Skill Development

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Learn all the things!

Whether you're gainfully employed or looking for a new role, continuing to learn and grow is a valuable career resilience strategy. ​While you can certainly pursue college degrees or certifications, there are many informal ways to increase your knowledge. Here are three of my favorite ways to continue learning and growing.

Strategy 1: Social Media

Staying current on industry trends can be a challenge. One way to learn a little bit at a time is using social media. I use LinkedIn to learn a little at a time on topics that matter to me. Follow thought leaders and regularly read their posts to learn more about emerging trends and technologies. In addition, follow companies to stay current on their new products and positions in the marketplace. You can also follow hashtags for keywords you like to learn about. 

Here are a few topics I consistently learn about from social media posts: 

• I follow CliftonStrengths to learn about the 34 strength themes and how to leverage strengths in different work situations.
• I follow Christopher Voss to learn more about negotiation strategies.
• I follow Remit Sethi to learn about financial wellbeing.
• I follow the hashtag #careerwellbeing to find articles on best practices.

Strategy 2: Webinars

Webinars are an excellent way to learn about a topic in more detail, usually over the course of 30-60 minutes. In a webinar, you can hear a speaker lead you through content, highlight important points, and string those ideas together into a more cohesive whole. In addition, you may also have the opportunity to interact with other webinar attendees. Webinars may focus on presenting content, answering questions from live attendees, or getting the group to share ideas on a specific topic.

Here are a few webinars I have attended and what I took away from each: 

• I attended Kassy LaBorie's Virtual Training Hero Hangout monthly webinar to meet other trainers and learn virtual facilitation best practices. 
• I attended The Association for Talent Development - Nebraska Chapter's monthly Learning Leaders Monthly Meeting to chat with colleagues about each person’s challenges and possible approaches.
• I attended virtual meetings of The White Box Club to learn tips and tricks about managing my mindset during my career transition.
• I attended a Fredrickson Roundtable for Learning Leaders meeting to learn about a specific organization's process for designing and implementing a company-wide educational program.

Strategy 3: Professional Organizations

Professional organizations are a great way to learn more about a wide variety of topics. For one, you can attend regularly scheduled meetings, which typically have an educational component, to learn industry-specific content. Most groups have a social component, whether it is networking time during meetings or separate events that focus on getting to know other members.

​There are also volunteer opportunities, from helping check people in at a monthly meeting, being on an event-specific committee, and taking on a leadership role. These opportunities provide multiple ways to learn from a structured event or learn by doing. 

Here are a few professional organizations I have been a part of and ways I have learned content and skills:
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• I attended a monthly meeting of The Omaha Organizational Development Network to learn how to boost team performance using positive intelligence. 
• I designed and delivered a breakout session for the PACT MN ExcellenceShare event to teach people how to build their professional networks using LinkedIn.
• I developed relationships with presenters, coordinated virtual events, and produced one-hour learning sessions for people in career transition for The White Box Club. 
• I planned, organized, and facilitated Career Development Special Interest Group meetings for The Association for Talent Development - Nebraska Chapter to share career resilience strategies for members. 

Learn More

• The Layoff Lady: Strengthening Professional Relationships - Interacting With LinkedIn Posts
• The Layoff Lady: Job Layoff Fear - An Alternative to Worry​
• The Layoff Lady: Growing Your Professional Network - Attending Webinars 
• The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What?