First, let me say, I hope everyone is staying cool in this crazy heat wave.
Does your current employer have a career development program? Learning and development opportunities are more frequently offered by employers today than even just two years ago. I want to suggest that you take full advantage of any/all courses available to you…at your current employer’s expense. If your employer does not have an online learning platform or offer tuition reimbursement, suggest it to HR and see if you can pilot the program. Email me if you would like info for online learning platforms to suggest as I have researched quite a few.
The job market is becoming more and more geared toward lifelong learning. Rather than seek out specialists in a particular field, many organizations are looking for generalists to get more bang for their buck when it comes to employees. People able to function in a more task fluid environment are becoming more desirable in today’s job market.
Can the executive assistant also perform A/P data entry in order to free up the staff accountant’s time to focus on budgets for the coming year? Can the office manager handle the HR onboarding experience as well as benefits administration? If travel arrangements are suddenly needed to meet with a client, can either of these employees step up and coordinate trip details for the team being dispatched? A can-do attitude is always helpful and having the ability to execute tasks that may arise outside of your typical job description provides an opportunity to showcase one’s other strengths.
If you are the benefits administrator, but have an interest in event planning, check out your company’s learning platform or google to find any related courses in event planning or project management to hone these skills. Since most employers tend to run “short staffed” (although now it is referred to as “running lean”), if you are able to offer assistance with planning or coordinating the next client event or even the employees’ holiday party, I am sure someone would be happy to take you up on the offer.
Keep learning and adding new skills to your resume. Demonstrate your initiative and flexibility to handle a wide variety of tasks. Be the go-to person that everyone wants to know, but few want to be.