Polish all your skills continually not just when your looking for a job →

Sharpen the saw and polish your skills as suggested by Stephen R. Covey, and study your industry. Take an inventory of all your soft and hard skills to understand what you have. Be sure to identify all the skills required for your job. Determine which of those skills have been allowed to get out of date and are less valuable now. Some of those will be a problem as your industry changes. It is likely time to update and add new skills that complement what you have.

In addition to your current skills, studying the industry will teach you what new skills are also needed in your career focus. Some research will be required. You can use the informational interview approach to determine what you need.

Identify others in the industry doing this, make an appointment to meet with them, and ask what skills they see emerging as necessary in your work. While doing this, learn about their company and point of view and add them to your network of contacts. If something happens that you can see would be of interest, then let your new network contact know and be a resource for them. Networking isn’t just about finding a job. It is also about staying current and connected in your profession. Spend some time fine-tuning your Soft Skills:

  1. Expand your vocabulary

2. Embrace the plain language

3. Defeat your fear of public speaking

4. Improve your writing with practice

5. Perfect your listening skills

6. Practice dignity and respect

7. Stay Current - Know What is New in Your Industry that has Impacted the Skills Needed



In 2023, it was predicted that nearly half of the current workforce skills would become obsolete in just two years, primarily due to advancements in artificial intelligence. (New ways of doing things could also bring the need for new skills)

Key findings: Near-Total Transformation: About 49 percent of existing skills in the workforce today are predicted to be irrelevant by 2025.


LinkedIn can be a resource to see if you have missed some changes. Check out competitors and look at those employed in similar jobs and then at their profiles. What skills do they list? Are some a surprise, or are some the same as yours but with different titles? Are the titles and skills you find just different by name from what you have? Update your skill names, pick skills you need, and train for them.

(ReSkill Efforts May be Needed Every 2-3 Years)