FastTrain

When times get tough and that next job looks ever distant this is not the time to make rash moves.

One such move is to start spending money on expensive training courses in the hope that this will lead to the creation of a more desirable skills set.  There are two problems with this approach, the first is that time spent in training is not time spent looking for a job.  The second problem is that the choice of skill may do nothing to enhance your CV and hence your attractiveness to a potential recruiter.

If you are at a crossroads and you want to take training then there are a few things I would suggest:

• Ask yourself – do I like doing what I was doing in my previous job? 
• If so then what skills set do I need to enhance to make myself more attractive to a potential recruiter? 
• If not then what do I want to do in the future and how do I get the skills needed to move me in that direction?
• Now write down four lists for your work activities; what do I like doing, what don’t I enjoy, what am I good at and finally what am I weak at.
• From those lists identify areas that you enjoy doing but may be a little weak.  These are good areas in which to gain extra training especially if they are core skills that are relevant to your job.

On the other hand you could decide that you like the outdoors and want to become a lumberjack (previous job junior solicitor) so you take a course in how to use a chainsaw. 

Perhaps it might come in handy in the future but have you really thought through what you want to do?  If so, either you got your first choice badly wrong and have wasted a number of years or you are panicking and think that this new job will offer more opportunities – and that is very risky!