Independent professionals are now in the front seat when it comes to possessing the skills and knowledge that is relevant and up-to-date. With this in mind, are you confident that your freelancer training needs are being met?
Independent professionals are now in the front seat when it comes to possessing the skills and knowledge that is relevant and up-to-date. With this in mind, are you confident that your freelancer training needs are being met?
Back in January of this year, CXC Global EMEA focused on this topic in one of their news articles ” Freelancers missing out on training”. More often than not, independent professionals are missing out on important courses and development due to the time poor nature of modern day working lifestyles and the reduced investment made by employers. Companies regularly maintain clear professional development boundaries between freelancers and permanent staff, and some of these boundaries are for cost reasons. Independent Professionals regularly miss out on the same career development possibilities and as a result may lose out on critical new learning’s and up-to-date information.
But making an effort to help yourself grow professionally will help you succeed, both in the short and in the long term. And if you don’t learn new skills and acquire new knowledge and experience, there’s a possibility you could fall behind your peers, which could be detrimental when you look to change positions in your career.
Focusing on transferable skills that are relevant across a variety of industries and positions will pay off in the long-term. That way, even if you can’t use them now, they’ll likely come in handy later.
And let’s not forget that our brains are geared for learning and thrive from new information and challenges, so keep them hungry.
Let’s take a look at why it’s so important to invest in your ongoing learning and how, as a freelancer, you can start regularly investing in your ongoing professional development.
Why?
- Challenge the way you think: bring new ideas to the table and broaden the breadth of your abilities.
- It keeps you hungry: lifelong learning and activities that don’t just tread familiar ground but offer new skills and new knowledge.
- Continuity: being up-to-date is a continuous process; evolution doesn’t stop for you just because once upon a time you were at the top of your game.
- Your potential: increase your career prospects and earning capabilities.
How?
- Research what training provisions are available from your current or potential employer.
- Understand what your learning needs
- Work on your own personal development plan and stick to it.
- Get involved with professional associations and institutions.
- Network with colleagues from your industry.
- Research online courses and training opportunities.
- Try something new: rethink the way you have traditionally learned and try a new method or learn a new skill to compliment the current set you have.
- Work with a mentor who has experience or skills that you are unfamiliar with.
- Attend relevant industry conferences
- Go back to basics and read read read…
We are always interested to hear your thoughts on the subject. Feel free to let us know what you think, or whether we can help you excel as a member of the contingent workforce talent. Want to learn more about CXC Global and our tailored services? Contact one of our dedicated representatives now for more information on Contractor Management, Employment Classification, Managed Service Provider.
