4 Skills to Develop to be Successful in The Second Half of Your Life

Skills to Develop to be Successful in The Second Half of Your Life

Self-improvement, growth, and development should never stop. Regardless of your age, you need to find a way to keep learning, acquiring knowledge, and keeping up the pace with the world that’s changing around you. The second half of your life isn’t supposed to be passive anymore. On the contrary, retiring at 65 is no longer the norm.

Whether you do it for financial reasons or personal fulfillment, you will likely work beyond that age.  The challenge is that we are in a time of technological revolution. Exciting, world-changing developments are coming at a rapid pace. Remaining marketable means picking up new skills quickly. The question is, which skills in particular?

Let’s break it down together and see what skills you need to develop to stay in the game.

1.     Social Media

Did you know that there are more than 2.8 billion social media users worldwide?

Half of the world is actively using social media platforms to communicate, self-advertise, network, gather information, and keep up with the trending topics.

Whether you like them or not, you can’t escape them.

Basic social media skills include:

• creating an account
• setting it up and making it unique
• following brands you care for
• communicating via messages
• creating and publishing posts

Also, social media is a way of self-advertising. You can show:

• who you are
• what you do
• what you have to offer

Without it, you can’t go very far in the personal or in professional spheres.

Keep up with the rest of the world and learn how to use social media for all of the above purposes.

2.     Communication and Collaboration Technologies

Everything is changing and that includes the way teams communicate and collaborate. Today, most business communication is done via apps and new technologies like online workspaces.

For example, many team use apps such as:

• Trello
• Asana
• Basecamp
• Skype

These are just a few examples. Each of the apps has something special to offer and you can use most of them to:

• make notes
• organize schedules
• collaborate with colleagues
• keep everything in order

By mastering the skills of communication and collaboration, you’re becoming a desirable member of any team. Also, you are increasing your chances of becoming an appreciated member of the business community.

Make sure you master a few of these to boost your resume and make your working hours more productive and organized.

3.     Google

Typing something in the Google search box and reading the first result that pops-up is not considered a great Google research skill.

To use Google properly, you need to learn how to find reliable information online.

“Nowadays, all the answers can be found on Google. You just need to know how to find them. That’s why it’s so important to master the skill of googling,” says Donald Major, a digital marketing specialist and a writer at Top Writers Review.

Here’s what you should know:

• recognize which sources are reliable and which are not
• how to fact check claims made by website owners
• how to use natural language and voice search to get the information you need

The only way to improve your Google search skills is to practice. Over time, you’ll learn which sources to trust, and where to look for certain information.

These skills will help you stay well-informed and adopt credible information that is worth remembering and sharing.

You’ll be able to expand your knowledge and work on your self-improvement simultaneously.

4.     Networking

Making the right connection is crucial for your success in the second half of your life.

You may be thinking you are too old to approach younger and more successful people, or you are afraid you’ll be rejected because of your age.

However, networking isn’t about how old are you. It’s about what you have to offer.

Therefore, make sure to:

• create a LinkedIn profile and start connecting
• go to seminars and workshops
• volunteer
• surround yourself with the energy you’re looking for

Don’t self-segregate.

Volunteering for an election campaign could be a great opportunity to acquire new skills and make new contacts while also being a responsible citizen. You don’t have to wait for the 2020 presidential election. You can join one of the teams during the gubernatorial elections, state legislative elections or numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections that will occur this fall.

Nothing is stopping you from doing what you strive for and what’s going to make you happy. You can even start a successful business by sharing the experience with young people, as the U.S. personal coaching industry is expected to grow around 5% a year by 2022 (according to a Market Research report).

Final Thoughts

Just because you’re in the second half of your life doesn’t mean you should stop learning or give up on self-improvement. You’ve still got things to learn and places to be, so go for it.

Use the advice above and master the skills we’ve listed. You’ll feel more self-confident and ready to face any challenge that comes your way.

This post was written by Sylvia Giltner. Silvia is an HR manager and content writer at  Resumes Centre. She helps people to write the perfect resume and land a desirable job. She is also an active guest contributor. Sylvia’s writing has been featured on Forbes, Next Avenue, TLNT, and more.

 

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