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Posted by Dr. Sean Harry

Filling in the gaps – professional and personal development for job seekers.

At the beginning of your job search you have very likely been conducting an assessment of your skills, knowledge, and abilities. Assessment is about helping you determine what you are capable of and willing to do in your next position.

At this point you have, no doubt, found an area or two where you have some gaps. You may need an additional degree, or some specific training. Maybe a professional certification is in order. Well, before you shell out the big bucks to go back to school or enroll in a course of study, there are some important things you should know:

• If you are receiving unemployment benefits you need to talk to your caseworker to see how going back to school will affect you. In the state of Oregon you must be willing and able to accept work in order to receive your weekly benefits. Enrolling in school can make you ineligible, so you better ask first.

• The state employment department MAY offer the courses you need. As part of NAFTA and other trade agreements, states receive money to retrain workers whose jobs have been shipped offshore. See if you qualify for any of these funds under the Dislocated Workers or Trade Adjustment Acts.

• Be sure the degree or certification you are seeking will fill the bill for potential employers. The best way to do this is to conduct informational interviews with people who would likely hire you for the new position. Schools may counsel you to join their program, but they aren’t always on top of the latest requirements for specific jobs. Afterall, their job is to “get butts in seats” for their programs.

• Check the Internet for free training. Some of the best schools in the country allow you to take their courses online for FREE. Of course, you don’t get academic credit from their institution unless you are officially enrolled. But if you are seeking to enhance you skill or knowledge base, you may not need the actual credit. Check out http://see.stanford.edu/see/courses.aspx (Stanford), http://oyc.yale.edu/ (Yale), and http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm (MIT) to get started.

• Look into Community College options. They are usually less expensive than enrolling in a University, and you can take one or two classes without being officially accepted to the school.

• Think of volunteer or internship opportunities. One of the challenges we all face when going into a new field is that the employer wants both formal training and work experience. If you have the training, but not the experience, you can sometimes pick it up by giving your time to a worthy organization. You have the time, and they need to volunteers. Win. Win.

Being unemployed and looking for work can be a good time to fill in the gaps by getting more training. Just remember to check out ALL the options before you spend the money, you’ll be glad you did.

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• Monday Staff Meeting: The BEST Job Boards to Use In Your Job Search
• Monday Staff Meeting: The Hiring Game
• Monday Staff Meeting: Getting the MOST Out of a Job Fair

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Dr. Sean Harry has more than 20 years of experience in training and motivating people to achieve their goals and reach their highest potential. He has helped accomplish this as a Career Coach, as a University professor, as a Pastor, and as a Motivational Speaker.
You can find him on twitter: @sharrypdx, and @careers20