BOOSTING YOUR VALUE BY

MASTERING NEW SKILLS

1
INTRODUCTION
Your value — the amount people will pay for your services, products, or experience — is usually
directly correlated to the value that you offer as a professional woman. Mastering new skills will
help to boost your value by making you a go-to resource. When your skills are sharp you’re able
to produce better (and sometimes quicker) results and you stand out amongst your colleagues.
It’s never too late to learn new skills or to refresh skills you already have. Technology has placed
a wealth of information right at your fingertips and for many areas, you no longer need a college
degree to acquire marketable skills.
Follow this guide to identify and master new skills to help boost your value.

STEP 1
IDENTIFYING
SKILLS
To start, you will first need to do a skills assessment to determine what your current skill set is. This
assessment will consider the skills that you currently have, and the skills that you need to acquire.

CONSIDER THESE ITEMS:

• Did your last performance review indicate skills that were lacking?
• Are you planning to change roles in the next six months and will that new role require different
skills?
• Has technology shifted and do you need to learn new programs?
• Are there new industry trends that you aren’t incorporating into your work?

2
THREE WAYS TO IDENTIFY SKILLS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS.

01 Google it 02 Job postings 03 Ask your supervisor

Search for “job skills required Even if you’re not in the market Request a job description
for job title” and you’ll be for a new job, reading job and requirements from your
pointed to hundreds of postings that are similar to your direct supervisor. This will often
resources referencing job skills current role (or future role) will include required skills.
for your line of business. help you to see exactly what
employers are looking for.

Skills can be broken down into two categories, soft skills and hard skills. It is the combination of
these skills that create your personal skill profile. It is important to focus on both areas of skills if
you’re looking to grow professionally.

SOFT SKILLS HARD SKILLS

These are non-technical skills that relate to Also known as technical skills, these are
how you work, interact, and manage yourself. abilities that directly tie into the work which you
Soft skills are important because they relate to are doing. Hard skills will often be quantifiable
how you work. Someone can have excellent and learned through specific training. In some
technical, job-specific, skills but if they are cases, your hard skills will be tested and
unable to communicate well or work well certified through specific programs.
with others, they may not be successful in the
workplace. One the next page you will find a list of
common skills needed and space for you to fill
Your soft skills include communication, in specific skills required for your line of work.
leadership, attitude, critical thinking, work ethic, Utilize this sheet to make an honest assessment
teamwork, and time management. A strong set of your strengths related to each skill. Make an
of soft skills likely points to adaptability and will honest assessment of your strengths related to
help you to stand out amongst your peers. each skill. Keep in mind that as products and
technology change, your skills may decrease
and require new training.
3
SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Complete this self-assessment and rank each skill accordingly. Consider feedback you’ve
received from others as part of your rating. For added input, you may want to request input from
a supervisor or co-worker.

Soft Skills
SKILL AREA WEAK MEDIUM STONG
Teamwork
Communication
Problem-Solving
Work Ethic
Leadership
Flexibility
Interpersonal
Listening
Time Management

Hard Skills

You will need to identify the hard skills that apply to your specific industry or career and list those
below.

SKILL AREA WEAK MEDIUM STONG

4
Industry & Product Knowledge

Answer the questions below:

01 I am aware of current trends in my industry.

Yes No

02 I am a go-to resource for people with questions about my industry.

Yes No

03 I belong to industry organizations or groups.

Yes No

04 I consider myself an expert in my industry.

Yes No

05 Other people consider me an expert in my industry.

Yes No

06 I am knowledgeable about my company.

Yes No

07 I can confidently answer questions about our products and services.

Yes No

08 I know who our competitors are.

Yes No

5
 STEP 2
DEVELOPMENT
PLAN
The self-assessment you just completed will offer you insights into where you need to start building your
development plan. Prioritizing your development will be critical to successfully building new skills. Focus
on one skill at a time and give yourself time to learn and gain experience before re-assessing.

TO PRIORITIZE YOUR LEARNING AND DEVELOP A PLAN, FOLLOW THESE TIPS:

Create a timeline that is in line with your expectations and requirements

We prefer to assess and plan annually with a quarterly review, but your own
preferences may differ. Be sure to include soft and hard skills in your assessment.

Identify critical skills for success

Using your personal assessment, are there skills, experience, or certifications that
are essential to your current success? This is a great item to prioritize.

Identify skills that will improve your performance and drive better results
When you’re able to quantify your actions and contribute more to projects, you
become more visible. And increased visibility = increased opportunity.

For company specific learning, you may need to engage your coworkers or
leadership team
Request group training tied to a specific product or services. Likely if you need
this training, others in your department may as well.

Follow industry experts, groups and organizations that will help you to
align with trends and issues specific to the area you work.

6
 STEP 3
IDENTIFYING
RESOURCES
AND GAINING
EXPERIENCE
Now that you’ve identified the skills you need to improve, it’s time to identify the resources you’ll
use to acquire the skills. You will also want to determine how you can start applying these skills in
a professional setting.

Formal education
In some cases, you may need to invest in formal education (a degree or
accredited program) to acquire the skills you need. This can be an investment of
time and money, so keep that in mind.

Certification programs
Certification programs allow you to learn a specific skill in a shorter time frame
than formal education. Because certifications are typically narrow in scope you
tend to get specialized knowledge of the subject matter. These programs allow
you to showcase your knowledge and ability to apply certain skills. Investing in
certification programs can be a worthwhile investment.

Online courses
You likely can find an expert on any topic when searching the internet. There’s an
abundance of online content tied to these topics - some free and some paid. Be
sure to do your research if going this route. This includes looking at the experts
credentials, viewing testimonials and reviews, and ensuring that they truly are an
expert on the topic.

Pro Tip: Proven experts likely have a YouTube channel with a range of free
content. This is a great starting point that allows you to make sure that you like
! the style and content of the videos. Also, video views and comments are a
great indicator of social proof, or how well respected the person is.

7
 Did you know: IAW members at the Innovator and Influencer level get access
! to education through LinkedIn Learning. More than 16,000 online courses
geared towards development of hard and soft skills!

The local library

This is a treasure trove of free information and shouldn’t be overlooked as a
resource. Save money by using periodicals (magazines, journals, newspapers,
etc) at the library instead of subscribing on your own. You can also use the
library to review books before deciding if it’s something that you need to
purchase for longer-term use.

Knowledge groups
Identify online forums or discussions where you can connect with others on the
same topic. Facebook groups have become incredibly popular and can be a
great place to connect with experts and other people facing similar challenges.

Seminars and conferences

Usually hosted by professional associations or groups, these events offer you
access to industry information and networking opportunities.

GAINING EXPERIENCE
It can be difficult to find opportunities to “test” your new skills.

01 VOLUNTEER
Organizations are always looking for people to support their
community efforts. You can volunteer to help support operations
of a local non-profit which will usually include some amount of
training and support.

8
 02 INTERNSHIPS
These are usually reserved for university candidates and
provide short-term assignments for learning new skills in a work
environment. If you’re later in your career, you could request
a short-term assignment to another department as part of your
development plan.

03 MENTORSHIP
A mentor is an experienced and knowledgeable individual
who is trusted to help others navigate and develop their
careers or overcome stumbling blocks that are holding them
back. Participating in mentorship is an enormous educational
opportunity. Mentors can also save you a lot of time by
directing you to the best resources available to help you
achieve your educational and professional goals.

SUMMARY
Committing to life-long education will help you boost your value and make you indispensable.
Utilize your skills assessment to identify opportunities for improvement. Once you’ve mastered
your new skill, be sure to update your resume and online profiles so that it’s visible to others. Be
sure to reassess your skills regularly to ensure that you’re up to date with trends, technology, and
industry standards. Investing in your learning development requires both time and money but is an
investment that is guaranteed to pay off in the long run!