Solutions By Lex

Opportunity abounds, but so do budget cuts and mass layoffs. There are plenty of great jobs and business opportunities out on the market, but the majority of the ones that pay good and challenge professionals to stretch and grow have very narrow scopes and requirements. Eliminate the gray area from your resume: lock-in one or more of the following skills, and job offers should start piling up in your inbox fast!

1. Project Management – can you lead a cross-functional, sometimes geographically separated team in executing critical projects while controlling scope, operating under budget, and delivering within an expected schedule? Can you also simultaneously manage communications with all stakeholders involved like a masterful politician? If your answers are yes, then you might want to consider becoming a Project Manager. You can manage projects in construction, information technology, architectural design, marketing, and pretty much any other industry pertaining to your education and experience. Learn more in detail by researching the Project Management Institute (PMI, Inc.)
2. Data Presentation/Visualization – data overload is real! There’s so much information at our fingertips today that we often can’t digest it all in a meaningful, sustainable way. Not without filtering out the unnecessary and putting what’s vital to know into a simple-to-handle format. Presenting data in a visually appealing, comprehensive way is a valuable skill virtually everywhere. If you’re not already proficient, seek to gain advanced skills with programs like MS Visio, MS Excel, and maybe even a service management platform like ServiceNow
3. CDL Driving – obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) can prove extremely lucrative these days. The logistics industry is struggling to get loads picked-up and/or delivered on schedule due to a huge shortage on availability of qualified drivers. The income possibilities vary, based on experience, driving record, mileage, and specialties called endorsements. Adding an endorsement such as the H Endorsement to operate vehicles that contain Hazardous Materials, for example, will fetch a CDL Driver much more money. Many potential employers offer special hiring programs, especially for military veterans, in which they will cover the costs of training and obtaining a CDL, and some even pay you full-time wages while attending training. So if you’re into blaring Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus on some Old Town Roads, then you might strongly consider the CDL option

I most definitely appreciate your readership. If my content has been helpful at all to your career journey, then please subscribe to my upcoming book’s pre-order campaign: https://publishizer.com/grit-grind-grow/. The book is entitled “Grit. Grind. Grow! A Guide To Conquering Career Transition“, and it will finally be published in the Summer of 2019!