When you are applying for a new job, it’s really important that you can demonstrate that you keep your knowledge up-to-date.  With some professions, it’s mandatory.  Most professional bodies make annual training a condition of membership, and offer a range of courses to help you.

But what if you aren’t a member of a professional membership organisation?  Why should you bother?  Isn’t that your employer’s responsibility?

Well, firstly, it’s your employer’s responsibility to ensure you have the knowledge you need to do the job you are doing.  Usually they do this by sending you on training courses, or giving you a mentor, or getting you to work alongside someone who knows what they are doing.  They may have you do the work, which someone then checks until they feel you are fully competent (often known as ‘on-the-job training’).  It’s in the employer’s interests that you have the skills and knowledge you need in order to do your job well.

Many employers understand the benefit of expanding the skills and knowledge of their employees, so they will invest in career development, whether it’s sending you on a training course, or paying for a course you want to go on, or allowing you to ‘shadow’ someone doing a more senior job, or a different job from yours.

The problem comes when you want to get promoted, or to find a new job some where else, and you don’t have the skills and knowledge required.  In the case of promotion within the organisation, your boss might be persuaded to provide the training you need.  If you are looking outside the organisation, then it is down to you.

The most successful people tend to be those who are willing to pay for their own career development if they can’t get help from their employer.  It’s one of the keys to landing your dream job or dream career.  They may pay with time – for instance taking on a volunteer role where they can develop a missing skill-set.  One client of mine wanted to develop her finance skills, so, after reading some books on the subject, she volunteered to help the treasurer at her local church to give her some practical experience.

Other people pay with money. For example, when I knew I wanted to have my own business, I took holiday and paid for my own NLP training.  It wasn’t cheap, but it certainly paid off over the long term.  Most of my private clients pay for coaching out of their own pocket, because they understand how it can help them get where they want to be more quickly.

If you’re about to go job-hunting, look at the adverts to see what skills and knowledge employers are wanting in the field you are interested in.  Take some time to assess yourself honestly.  If you haven’t got the right mix of skills and knowledge, or they are out-of-date, think about how you can upgrade them.  Be willing to be really creative in thinking about how you can get access to the training and/or experience you need.