A dedication to constant learning is often the
secret to career success, ensuring your skills stay relevant and aligned to evolving market trends. Fortunately, there are now plenty more training options than ever, offering various pathways to new skills and industries beyond the traditional college or university degree.
Below, we explore the many benefits that upskilling – particularly through online learning – can provide, and how to revamp that resume for employment success.
How do I upskill and land my next job easily?
Upskilling or re-skilling can be done in a variety of ways, such as joining a professional industry organisation; attending networking and conference events; volunteering; or getting yourself a mentor or career coach.
However, one of the most highly recommended pathways to verifying your newfound skills among potential employers is through a nationally-recognised course or training program. These options are not only more accessible than ever, but also offer variety of options suited to your current skill level, career interests, learning style, and even schedule preferences. Plenty of these are now also available through a completely online study experience.
According to statistics by ABS, online learning has experienced a boom in the last few years, with participation rates for work-related course having more than doubled from 19% in 2016-2017 to a whopping 55% in 2020-2021. Such figures are hardly surprising given the expansive benefits of this educational pathway.
Will online learning benefit me when it comes to job hunting?
It’s flexible
One of the
most cited benefits of online learning is its ability to offer a highly flexible learning experience. Through its all-digital (or primarily digital) delivery, students have the freedom of studying wherever they please – be it from the comfort of their own home or on-the-go.
The experience is thus ideal for the job-hunters currently working yet seeking new industry opportunities, as its flexible structure helps them study around their current work or personal commitments, and on a schedule that works best for them.
Most of these online training programs, such as those offered by Upskilled, also provide a wide variety of digital communication tools (i.e. online chats and forums) to help you easily stay in contact with course peers or trainers, wherever you may be. This ensures that despite its online nature, you’re never alone in your studies – and can even network with other professionals or like-minded career starters across the country.
Learning tailored to your needs
These courses are not only flexibly adaptable to one’s schedule, but also allows one to study at a pace and through a learning style that works best for their needs. Not much of a morning person? With recorded online lectures and course material accessible 24/7, you can simply choose to tune into your studies at a time when you feel most energised, alert, and focused.
You’re also given the freedom of spacing out your studies in a way that helps you retain information and maintain productivity best; whether that’s incrementally spreading out the content over long periods of time, or segmenting them into concentrated periods of study.
This highly tailored learning experience has been reported to improve students’ retention rates and the speed at which they absorb content – with studies indicating that it takes
40-60% less time to learn materials provided online. This means that you’re able to build in-demand skills in a shorter span of time, helping you land opportunities in the job market faster.
Additionally, the independence these courses provide can help you build on your self-discipline and initiative, a transferable skill valued by any employer or workplace.
Practical, “work-ready” training
Online courses have often been favoured for their focus on practical, “work-ready” training – equipping you with the experience and hands-on skills you need to start working in your field. Most programs come with plenty of projects (both independent and collaborative) to help put your newfound knowledge to practice, as well as test your skills application in real-world industry contexts.
All this can typically culminate in a nationally-recognised qualification or certification (such as with plenty of Upskilled’s courses), certifying your expertise for potential employers.
Specialised, work-ready training can especially be found among
bootcamp or
short courses, where aspiring professionals are able to pick up in-demand skills in a matter of weeks or months.
Upskilled, for instance, offers a wide variety of
tech-focused bootcamp programs that provide an intensive “crash course” in areas such as cloud computing, cyber security, and data analytics; arming them with the necessary practical skills to start advancing their careers or exploring these rising job markets.
Courses aligned to industry demands
Finally, online learning is an especially attractive career option for job-hunters, as much of these programs are well-aligned to current and emerging industry demands. On top of keeping your skills relevant and competitive, they also ensure your adaptiveness to a changing industry landscape.
For example, much of Upskilled’s short courses and bootcamp programs are designed in preparation for in-demand IT certifications. These include qualifications in
Agile Scrum,
AWS cloud essentials,
CISA,
CAPM, and plenty more.
Such training can thus help arm you with the credentials to stand out in competitive job markets, helping you land new career opportunities faster. Having these qualifications under your belt verifies your expertise among potential employers and ensures you’re up to date with recent developments in your field.
How do I make my resume more attractive to potential employers?
- Place your key skills and experience high up on the resume. Grab the hiring manager’s attention off the bat by highlighting your abilities in the uppermost sections of your resume. This lets you cut to the chase, spotlighting what you have to offer right away.
- Get specific. Vague statements such as “team player” and “great communicator” are not just often overused – but leaves much up to interpretation. Where you can, try and cite cold, hard facts in your work experience, as this demonstrates just how much you’ve accomplished in your career.
- Use the right keywords. With plenty of hiring managers now automating the resume screening process, it pays to sprinkle in the right keywords in your application – typically, the same ones used in the actual job ad description. These are often the first elements of text such programs are trained look for, so be sure to weave in as many as you can naturally fit.
- Include a personal cover letter. Avoid using a templated cover letters with impersonal greetings (i.e. “To whom it may concern”), and ensure you write up a concise cover letter tailored to the company, its mission, and how you’d best fit in with their goals. For job ads that don’t particularly ask for a cover letter (though aren’t necessarily against one), it’s recommended to write one up for the hiring manager anyway – demonstrating your genuine interest and passion for the role.
Ana Isabel Alonsagay
Ana Isabel Alonsagay freelance writer and founder of anaisabel.org, a blog on lifestyle, culture, and entertainment. When she isn't pinned to her keyboard, you can find her at your local cinema, blasting Broadway soundtracks or attending cosplay conventions.