How to Hone Your Professional Skills Online

Perhaps one of the greatest ways to advance your professional skills and reap greater rewards from your work is to pursue business education. Fortunately, there are more online resources available than ever to instruct you in data analysis, interpersonal communication, website development, and various other leadership areas. If you’re eager to expand the scope of your knowledge, visit one of the following e-learning platforms, each of which can connect you with aspirational thought leaders and better equip you to champion your organization.

Skillshare

This digital resource center may be best known for its creative lessons on subjects like painting, cooking, and photography, but Skillshare’s catalog of over 25,000 courses also includes noteworthy business training. For instance, you can find novel ideas to boost your organization’s productivity from renowned professional influencer Ali Abdaal or discover simple steps for utilizing Canva to create effective social media content from marketer and top Skillshare teacher Maggie Stara.

Beginners in certain topics can enroll in classes with hours of lessons that start with the bare basics, taking it at their own pace. Meanwhile, seasoned professionals looking to polish their current proficiencies and gain some fresh insights can pick a single course that could only be a few minutes long. Whatever kind of student you are, Skillshare is unquestionably a powerful resource for acquiring business knowledge—and learning how exactly to apply these lessons within your organization. You can start with a free trial to test the waters, then pay an annual fee to subscribe for unlimited access to all courses.

Dale Carnegie

One of the most celebrated thought leaders in history, Dale Carnegie offered a wealth of industry knowledge through many business publications, including his acclaimed book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Today, digital coursework on the Dale Carnegie & Associates website is helping to keep his legacy alive by leading professionals through the Performance Change Pathway, a time-tested business methodology that “supports the development of skills and habits needed to sustain performance change,” per the website.

Any of the offerings can take you on such a journey, but the best may perhaps be the Effective Communications and Human Relations course, the online version of the world-famous Dale Carnegie Course. Presented live, it aids leaders in cultivating their confidence, communication skills, and stress management and teaches team-organizing tactics to help productivity soar.

Though many of Dale Carnegie’s online classes are scheduled at set times, meaning you cannot work them as freely into your personal schedule, it’s well worth the investment to get the secrets to success from Carnegie’s own playbook. Plus, the site’s pay-per-course arrangement means you can commit to only as many learning sessions as you have the time and budget for. As a free bonus, you can also download the Lead with Influence: Self-Assessment e-book, a resource that can guide you in uncovering your leadership personality and identifying opportunities for growth.

Harvard Professional Development

You don’t need to take a sabbatical from your work to gain a Harvard education—you can visit the halls of this revered institution’s business school via your smart screen by enrolling in any of its numerous online professional development courses. Though guest lecturers may lead some of these classes, many are helmed by Harvard’s own professors. From them, you can master the foundational principles of leadership, develop your coaching strategies to coax the best talent from your team, or discover how to craft innovative tactics for your organization.

While you can audit much of this coursework for free, doing so won’t earn you a certificate of completion, so it may be worth the fee to enroll in the full package. In addition, be prepared for a potentially significant time investment; for example, the Disruptive Strategy class requires up to six hours of attendance per week for six weeks. The price, duration, and schedule of each course may vary, as will the skills you develop, but earning a certification from Harvard Professional Development will reward you in a myriad of ways—and it won’t look too bad on your resume either.

LinkedIn Learning

While LinkedIn is primarily a social media networking site, it also offers a veritable treasure trove of professional development resources. You may be shocked by its bevy of courses numbering over 17,000, each of which dives deep into a crucial business topic. Learn how to craft the perfect elevator pitch from Indiana University Kelley School of Business professor Tatiana Kolovou, or develop your emotional intelligence with the guidance of Dr. Gemma Leigh Roberts, psychologist and owner of the popular Mindset Matters coaching program.

If you’re unsure where to begin, use the site’s Pathfinder tool to receive personalized course recommendations based on your industry and goals. Then as you complete lessons, you can add their certificates of completion to your LinkedIn profile. Such inclusions can attract employers if you’re on a job hunt, but they can also earn you some bragging rights as you network with like-minded thought leaders in your industry.

For access to these courses, you’ll need to initiate a free trial through your LinkedIn profile and eventually join the paid membership program. However, if you’re looking for no-cost professional training, LinkedIn Learning also provides free resources on its blog. They aren’t quite as comprehensive or detailed as the site’s training lessons, but there is still much useful information to be gleaned from them.

Determining the most appropriate avenue for your professional development will ultimately depend on your personal goals and how much you’re willing to budget for them. Whatever you invest, though, you can gain superior leadership skills, the latest business insights, and a greater range of talents that will equip you to overcome any present barriers between you and success.

TAKE ACTION:
Assess areas where your business acumen may need polishing, then determine which platform and coursework would best target those skill sets.