It’s very important to consider during the COVID19 period- upgrading your skills. This is not only for growing in your IT career but also to keep your current job secure. 

According to the recent report, it is stated that about 1.5 lakh employees in India’s IT industry might lose their jobs over the next three-to-six months. Majority of these layoffs will happen in small IT firms, said HR experts

Therefore, it is very important for employees to stay up-to-date with the trends and developments in their field and must be adaptable to grow in IT and keep your existing job secure.

So, whether in this COVID19 period if you’re aiming to start a new career opportunity in IT or would like to move into a more senior role or want to hold your current position, upgrading your skills can increase your chances of reaching your career goals easily. So, here are some 5 steps to take during Covid19 to grow your IT career.

Why do you need to upgrade your IT skills during Covid19?

The one thing you need to mark here is- Earlier, because of a lack of time, complacency and for many reasons, you’d upgrade your skills.

But now the situation is not the same. Now you have got a lot of free time. So,  instead of wasting your valuable time, invest it in something good for your future.

Hence, before knowing the steps you need to take during Covid19 to grow your IT career. Know some of the benefits that you can leverage through upgrading your skills during the lockdown.

1. It increases your self-confidence level
2. It improves your existing productivity and business performance level
3. It boosts your marketability and competitiveness in the field
4. You get the ability to offer solutions to problems that may occur on the job
5. It opens doors to better career opportunities
6. You earn more income than before

5 STEPS TO TAKE DURING COVID19

TO GROW YOUR IT CAREER!

1. Start Researching:

Yes, to upgrade your skills, it’s important to determine what you need. 

So, first, start researching the field to better understand what your employers are looking for. 

As a result, you come to know the vital skills that would add value to organizations and upgrade you accordingly.

For this, you can take reference from the popular job portals like Naukri, Linkedin, and Indeed and look at their current job postings, job tasks and qualification required for the kind of jobs you want.

Another great source of information is government websites that publish local and regional labor market data. This kind of information can inform you of who is hiring, where they are hiring, and of any hiring trends within your industry.

Furthermore, for deep inside industry knowledge, consider conducting informational interviews with the employer. This helps you to get a better understanding of the field. 

Also, such interviews deliver you with detailed information about roles you may be qualified to apply for, answer your specific questions, and give you an opportunity to network with others in the same field.

Therefore, the first step on growing in your IT career is to start researching your industry. This helps you to be informed about current trends, challenges, and gaps, so you can get a head start on how you can make a difference in your field.

2. Do a Self-Assessment:

Once you’ve researched the industry and discovered the skills that employers are looking for, the next step is to assess your current skillset. 

Know, where you have current gaps in your skills. This will help you to determine your next steps in upgrading your skills.

You can start it by making a checklist once that lists down your current skills and the ones you need to acquire or the employer looking for.

3. Do Online certification course:

After determining the skills you need, the direction you need to take is to upgrade the skills that your employers are looking for.

For this, you can take online courses from home in this Covid19 period. Today many professional IT course training institutes are providing online courses that help you develop the theoretical and practical knowledge you need to upgrade your skills.

Doing a course online, make yourself more employable and it is the best shot for career advancement, it helps you become expertise and shine out from your co-workers.

Additionally, It demonstrates to your employer that you are interested, dedicated and highly motivated about your career and you’ve spent valuable time and effort in learning and gaining new skills.  

Furthermore, doing a course will keep you up to date with current technological advancements. Not just that, it also increases your likelihood of gaining reorganization in your company, getting a promotion and pay rises.

Following is a quick list of valuable IT courses that promise you a quick career success:

• Advance Web Design Course
• Graphics Design Course
• Ui/Ux Design Course
• Frontend Development Course
• Interior/Exterior Design Course
• Digital Marketing Course
• Video Editing Course
• Multimedia Animation Course

4. Make a Portfolio to Showcase New Skills to Employers:

Once you have upgraded your skills through online courses, being able to showcase them to employers can make a difference in reaching the next stage of your career. 

Whether you’re about to move into a more senior role and deserve a high salary from the employer. You need to have examples of accomplishments and answers to behavioral questions polished and ready to go.

• Why do you think you deserve this raise or promotion?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Tell us about a time you experienced conflict with a coworker.
• Tell us about a time you didn’t hit your goals or failed in a piece of your work.
• What skills do you have that make you stand out from other applicants?

Those are all tough questions to answer, especially if you haven’t taken the time to prepare a portfolio of your work. 

Therefore, providing examples of your work, and contributing ideas on how to enhance productivity can all be ways to start telling employers how you can make a difference in their organization with your upgraded skills. 

5. Spent most of your time on LinkedIn:

One of the most valuable resources you have in your career is LinkedIn. Now’s the moment to spend some quality time with the platform.

Start updating your summary, add recent accomplishments to your profile, and make sure you’re connected to everyone in your network. This helps you in meeting mentors and coaches through networking.

Mentors and coaches are usually individuals who have some experience in their fields and can give the advice to help you advance in your career. 

Mentors and coaches can offer unique perspectives and have often been through similar experiences that they can share to help push you closer towards your goals. 

Mentors or coaches can be within your networks; a former manager, teacher, or coworker can all be people to consider to help mentor you.

Therefore, spend quality time on LinkedIn, which is probably going to be your main platform for career growth.

Conclusion

I hope the above mentioned 5 steps to take during Covid19 will help you grow in your IT career. Further, it takes you light years ahead of other employees and candidates. 

So, what are you waiting for? Put these steps into action during the Covid19 with the support of the Toptel Multimedia Education Online training course and become an expert in your domain.

Congrats you are not so far from becoming the next Steve Jobs!