By Lori Rubinger, Director, Training and Special Projects

What comes first the skill set or the job?
Are you trying to fit a square peg into a round hole?You may think I am just having fun with a bunch of nursery rhymes and sayings, but they are all so true when it comes to job search. Often, as jobseekers we put together a Resume of what we have done and what skills we have acquired. What if the job market has a different idea of what you need in order to do that job? Use job boards as your guide. You may have worked for years in customer service and are now in a situation where your skills are no longer competitive, perhaps there is software relevant to those jobs and you have not acquired it. Accounting? You know basic accounting and now need to upgrade to automated accounting. You have always managed projects but most jobs ask for project management software knowledge. Let the job boards guide you.

Use your time of transition to get the skills that make you competitive. I commonly hear, I don’t have time to take courses I just need a job. While that is undoubtedly true, can you afford not to take those courses? Many courses today are several days or given at night. Don’t let your skill set hold you back, or another way to look at it may be to look in the mirror, and ask

“Am I the best candidate for this job?”