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Want A Job? Prepare To Play Multiple Roles

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This is a guest post by Rahul Mistry, a content writer for the 123-reg. His last article for FORBES was "Coming To Terms With Underemployment." You can follow him on Twitter and Google+.

As the economic downturn persists, companies are asking employees to take on multiple tasks. Most recently, the Chicago Sun-Times fired its photographers and told staff reporters to take pictures with their iPhones. In this new world of work, job opportunities will go to those who can play a number of different roles. Developing multiple skill sets can not only help you find a job--it can also help you stay employed.

In a lifetime, the average person holds about 10 jobs across seven different careers, studies show. Of course, workers are more likely to switch jobs when they’re young and have no dependents, but one in five workers over 50 who are less than a decade away from retirement are contemplating career changes as well.

With companies looking for multiskilled employees, learning new skills can have a profound effect on your career. Whether it’s your first job, a career change or improving in your current position, you achieve greater mobility by showing you are willing to learn and evolve. Here are some ways to pick up new skills.

Learn online. The Internet has opened up many learning possibilities, allowing us to acquire new skills on Youtube; through online seminars and tutorials; and even by taking free courses provided by some of the best universities in the world. You can learn own your own time at your own pace, whether you're mastering advanced Excel, specialist software packages or even programming.

Go in person. Other less digitally oriented learning approaches include attending conferences, volunteering and internships. These can provide the essential experience that companies look for, making you infinitely more employable.

Train on company time. Avail yourself of any formal or informal training your company offers. In the long run, it is far more financially beneficial for an employer to nurture employees in intermediate roles and watch them grow as they progress through the ranks of the company.

For me, honing new skills was an antidote for the boredom and frustration of unemployment. After graduating with an engineering degree in 2010, I spent many months looking for a job. (See my post, "Coming To Terms With Underemployment.") While I was still holding out for a “dream job” in my field, one of the career advisers I consulted suggested creating a skills-based CV. It highlighted the writing, communication and technical knowledge learned by helping a friend run his website, along with customer service and teamwork skills I acquired through a few retail jobs during university. By following this advice I got a job as an intern at a marketing and copy writing firm. It enabled me to build up my work experience and get back in the job market after a few months of unemployment.

The job is unlikely to be a long-term career: recent statistics suggest that the average person today only spends about 4.4 years at a job before switching. However, I’ve discovered that learning doesn’t end when you finish your degree. Jobs that are essential today may be obsolete tomorrow. We must all be willing to adapt.

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