Lead Through Strengths - Build a Training and Coaching Practice, Based on Strengths - Career Q&A: Stop consuming training courses - go learn on the job instead

Career Q&A: Stop consuming training courses - go learn on the job instead

12/01/14 • 12 min

Lead Through Strengths - Build a Training and Coaching Practice, Based on Strengths

This Episode's QuestionHi. This is Ivy Portwood. My question is: how do I keep learning on the job? And where do I find the most relevant sources of information to contribute to both my current work and my longer-term career aspirations? Thanks.

What You'll Learn In The Audio - The two types of skills you should be thinking about. Hint: it's not 100% about technical and functional skills.

4 ideas for getting learning opportunities on the job...all without having to change roles or companies. And without having to attend hundreds of training courses.

How to narrow down your career development steps into a zone you can succeed with.

There's a theory in the Learning & Development world called 70-20-10. It says that you learn 70% of what you know from on the job experiences. You get about 20% by learning from others. And you get about 10% from formal learning like training courses. So this question is exactly on track with real world learning.

What's missing from nearly every career development plan I've seen.

People don't remember what you said. They don't remember what you did. They remember how you made them feel...taking wisdom from Maya Angelou and applying it to the skills you build.

Why you should always be becoming something you're proud of.

There’s so much more to you than the skills you can write on paper. 90% of the career impression you convey has nothing to do with what you actually say with words (Source: John Maxwell). Get beyond your technical skills and impact how the world sees you.

Tweetable of the EpisodeLooking to develop yourself? It's not just WHAT you know, it's HOW you show up.

Resource of the EpisodeBook: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

Book: The EQ Interview: Finding Employees with High Emotional Intelligence

Subscribe to the Career Q&A Podcast To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher radio. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode - let the app notify you each week when the latest question gets published.

Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic- When you've developed yourself into "top talent" or "high potential talent" you'll want to feel ready to have a conversation about getting a promotion.

Many people think they need an MBA to have the business skills to skyrocket their careers. This episode debunks the MBA requirement.

What You'll Learn In The Audio - The two types of skills you should be thinking about. Hint: it's not 100% about technical and functional skills.

4 ideas for getting learning opportunities on the job...all without having to change roles or companies. And without having to attend hundreds of training courses.

How to narrow down your career development steps into a zone you can succeed with.

What's missing from nearly every career development plan I've seen.

People don't remember what you said. They don't remember what you did. They remember how you made them feel...taking wisdom from Maya Angelou and applying it to the skills you build.

Why you should always be becoming something you're proud of.

Tweetable of the EpisodeLooking to develop yourself? It's not just WHAT you know, it's HOW you show up.

Resource of the EpisodeBook: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

Book: The EQ Interview: Finding Employees with High Emotional Intelligence

Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic- When you've developed yourself into "top talent" or "high potential talent" you'll want to feel ready to have a conversation about getting a promotion.

Many people think they need an MBA to have the business skills to skyrocket their careers. This episode debunks the MBA requirement.

Previous Episode

Career Q&A: How To Keep Your Resume Out of The Trash Bin - And Make it Uber Relevant

This Episode's QuestionHi. I have a question for you on resume composition. Now that I've been in the workforce for awhile and have various roles under my belt, I'm struggling with what to include and exclude on my resume. How do you balance including roles and experiences you know are relevant (and you know show the right expertise)...and balance that with keeping it short enough that someone will want to read it?

What You'll Learn - The truth about what a resume really is - and where to put the extra details that won't glue the recruiter's eyes to the page.

How your email address can sabotage your application.

Why you should know what a Google search of your name looks like (and social media search) - even if you lead a squeaky clean life.

How you can use LinkedIn to add depth to your resume and to give you keyword goodness for recruitment searches.

Why Objectives sections are a waste of paper.

How to make a Summary section useful for a recruiter rather than a blah, blah, blah sleep inducer.

Provocative thoughts on why saying you're driven and self-motivated can be a turnoff to a recruiter or hiring manager.

What do do with jargon, acronyms, and "leftover" skills that keep making it through your resume versions over the years.

Tweetable of the EpisodeYour resume is your marketing tool. Include the stuff that sells you.

Resource of the EpisodePinterest board: Killer Visul Resumes - layout inspiration to compliment your great content

Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic- To see why you need one resume for every job you apply for, listen to this episode

Listen in on a discussion on networking, and how it will get you more jobs than a resume every day of the week

Next Episode

Career Q&A: Funky, old school job application requirements - comply or fly?

This Episode's QuestionMy question is about a letter of introduction. My wife is applying for a licensed social work position for a school district. The application has a spot for a letter of introduction. This is the first time either of us have come across a requirement like that. So...what is it? Then, should it be written by you or by a third party? And should you submit only one like you do for a cover letter or multiple letters like you do for letters of recommendations? Thanks for your input.

What You'll Learn In The Audio - Whether to comply with their funky, old school job application requests.

The origins of these traditions from the 1700's and 1800's. Yup! They're that old school.

Your safest bet for action when you get any outlier requirement while applying for a new job.

How you can use this type of requirement as a sign post for the company culture you're about to join.

Whether recruiters and hiring managers want you to do cover letters as a separate attachment. Hint: highly-debated-topic alert!

How to not get yourself excluded for a job because you missed a step that was intended to check your attention to detail.

A more modern version of this mythical letter of introduction (a referral), and how an email from a 3rd party introducing you to the employer is a great tip for getting in the door and getting noticed.

Tweetable of the EpisodeTake notice of job application requirements as a sign of the company culture.

Resource of the EpisodeArticle: Too funny! You'll get a kick out of this Wikipedia article on Letters of Introduction. Besides the fact that it reinforces the old-school-osity, there's a fun quip in there from Ben Franklin writing one in a sarcastic way.

Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic- People who are applying for new roles also wondered whether you should submit a unique resume for each job you apply for.

They also wanted strategies to keep their resume out of the trash bin and at the top of the pile.