Career Tip: The Advantage of being Cross-Functional in the Workplace

When looking at resumes I want to see that an individual is more than a one-trick pony.  I want them to have skills in multiple areas that help them to function and fit into more than one role within an organization.  Company's want their employees to take advantage of additional one-on-one training and internal professional development programs to obtain an increased skillset, but too often employees won't take advantage of this additional instruction.

You risk your career security when you can only do "your job" and can't or won't do others within the organization that expand your experience and make your more indispensable to a company.  Many of the layoffs that have happened in recent years have been of individuals who fill only one role, or refuse to learn new skills.  Open your mind, utilize the supplementary training and professional development your company offers, and watch your career grow.  To your career success!

Alison.com

For the 3^rd recommendation in my blog series on professional development I want to discuss Alison.com.  This site offers free online learning in business and enterprise skills, IT and digital literacy, personal development, languages, and financial and economic literacy.  Course offerings include Fundamentals of Human Resources, Fundamentals of Project Management, Accounting-Control and Monitoring of Cash, Business Intelligence and Knowledge Management Systems, and Fundamentals of Operations Management.  These courses include assessments where you much complete with 80% accuracy to achieve a certification, and the site tells you time to complete lessons and minimum level needed to take class.

Courses are provided by a number of publishers (sources), and encompass MIT and MIT Media Lab, Saylor Foundation, Khan Academy, Stanford, Cambridge University, Microsoft, and Sun Systems.  Alison.com seems quite suited to the majority of online learners wanting to bolster their resume, transition into a new career area, or learn more about their current industry.  Give Alison.com a try, it’s free and a great resource.  To your career success!

Professional Development Resources

Last week I touted the need for continuing professional development in your career.  However, what if your company doesn't really offer opportunities for additional learning, or you are unemployed and feel you have no real options as you try to save every penny?  How do you find reasonably priced or even free professional development?  Well, each day, Tuesday through Friday this week, I will be posting options for professional coursework that often have no cost or a very low cost.  Keeping yourself ahead of the curve in learning can make a huge difference in your appeal to a new company or for a promotion within your current organization.  Let’s start, continue, or upgrade your training through the resources I will discuss this week.  To your career success!

Value of Ongoing Professional Development Coursework

Whether provided by your current employer, past employer(s) or training seminars/workshops/conferences you participated in and paid for yourself, professional development is highly valued by employers.  While you wouldn't want to list everything on your resume if you have taken a great deal of professional development in last 10 years, you want to track everything you take, and ultimately provide the best of the best info for the resume document.  Furthermore, a secondary addendum document with a full listing of development opportunities taken in the last seven to 10 years can also be created to supply for performance reviews, networking, interviews, or promotion opportunities.  

There are many different types of professional development that should be tracked and these include:  leadership, management, marketing, sales, customer service, business protocols, EEOC, sexual harassment, computer applications and systems, specialized compliance or technical training related to job or industry, and OSHA, just to name a few.  Keep those professional development completion certificates, listings from your employers, and any accompanying educational materials.  Now you will have both a terrific list of coursework along with the proof!  To your career success!