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How to stay relevant in your field

BUSINESS: It's important to stay up to date with current trends

THE BUSINESS environment is extremely competitive and cutthroat. It’s also getting increasingly harder to stand out because of today’s ever-changing world. The way things used to be done isn’t the way they are done now, and even the current modalities are definitely going to change in the near future. Because of this, every single employee, business owner, and job seeker – basically, every person in the world – must always stay up to date with current trends and practices in their respective fields.

You need to be able to stand out and this takes a large amount of work. Also, a lot of people often get booted out of their workplaces because there are younger people who aren’t only simply energetic but are also more relevant, marketable, and competitive. So, in all this volatility, how do you ensure your relevance and position? Here are a few tips:

Stay Up To Date with Relevant Tools
No one really cares how well you know how to use a particular method or software if it is already generally considered outdated. The tools currently being used to work in your field should be familiar to you. All relevant information about them including update and new methods should be consumed. Sometimes, old methods still get the job done considerably well. However, if all you’re doing is just getting the job done, there is a high chance a lot of other methods can get the job done as well. Also, don’t forget about other basic tools generally used in the workplace. These ones are the very common and easy-to-use software like Microsoft Office. Even these basic ones have a few intricacies that should be learnt. So, head on to E-Careers and obtain a Microsoft certification.

Understand the Competition
Even if you dislike all the most successful people in your field, you should know that there is always a thing or two to learn from them. Study them, and if you can, get close to them. Find out why they stand out and what exactly makes them possible and see how much of their habits and behaviours you can emulate. Don’t be afraid to try what they have tried and feel free to take it a step further by trying to improve on it.

Do a Lot of Networking
It’s very good to learn a lot of skills that can be used on the job. You should however also recognise that networking is also very important. Whenever you have an opportunity to meet with other players in your field, do whatever you can to take it and go rub a few shoulders. Not everything will be said or learnt in the four corners of an office or a meeting room. There’s a lot you can learn even from social events.

Have a Specialty
There’s absolutely no need to try to learn every single thing about your field. Devote your energy and time into figuring out the most promising facets, and then invest your resources there. Instead of being average at everything, be an unavoidable expert in a few.

Always remember, no matter how successful and important you are in your field, things are changing everywhere and people are always coming up with newer and more cost-effective ways to everything you already excel at. Don’t let yourself get pushed to the backseat.

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