Jackie of All Trades

You are the best at what you do, but in today’s economy, you can’t afford to be a one-dimension kind of woman.

“It’s important to develop a multitude of skills; a jack of one trade doesn’t survive in these days,” says Dr. Ella Edmondson, author of Career GPS: Strategies for Women Navigating the New Corporate Landscape. “Women are volunteering with non-profits, children and social activism. As a result, they are learning [business] skills.” To improve finance skills, she suggests getting involved with your non-profit’s fundraisers and book keeping.

Eighty-three percent of participants reported that they acquired, improved or developed their leadership skills due to volunteer participation, while 78 percent saw improvement in communications skills, according to a Comcast Foundation-sponsored study.

Here are a few other ways to gain new skills:

Certification programs can enhance your knowledge and skills in your particular occupation. Career One Stop offers a certification directory where you can search by industry and occupation.

Move laterally within your company and take short-term assignments in other departments to vary your expertise, says Suite101.com.

Create your own opportunity and volunteer to be on a multi-department project, says Fast Company.

PINK Profile: Girl Scouts CEO Maria Wynne shares her secret to her professional success – and why she became a patron of the arts.

Bonus PINK Link: Girl Scout young leader Leah Koch shares what she thinks about women leaders today.

By Muriel Vega

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what
you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou