How I Add Dynamic Skills to My Resume (While Working Full-Time)

Well, not nothing. There were multiple episodes of Queer Eye, some dishes to wash, a couple walks around the block. Somewhere in there, I even assembled an intricate cheese board for one, which really, should qualify as a resume-worthy skill.

But, after several months of zombifying heat waves and a couple leisurely long weekend vacations (plus last week, which one might call a “staycation,” though one might also not), I suddenly found myself motivated to get back into some self-improvement. Maybe it’s the whiff of fall—call me a lifelong academic, but continuing education is in the air.

And so, I sat down to think about ways that I could punch up my resume and the work I’m currently doing—because even when you love your job, loving well is about being the best version of yourself you can be, isn’t it?

The problem, of course, is that whole full-time work week thing. When you’re often at the office late or facing tight deadlines, making time to expand your skill set outside of work feel tricky. Cue the brilliance of flexible learning, including online courses from places like Open Campus at The New School, which offers a progressive approach to learning. Whether you choose to go with one of their short courses on topics like design thinking or deep dive into a certificate program on data visualization (more on that in a minute), you can acquire new resume bullet points straight from your couch.

It turns out, the whole “make time” thing isn’t the problem—it’s about getting creative in terms of how you’re using your time. Here are some ways I’m upping the ante on skills-based learning in my own life:

Taking My Brain on a Date

It’s so easy to come home at night exhausted and take a nosedive straight onto the couch. To avoid this, I’ve started approaching my intellectual self-improvement as a date—yes, like a “can I take you out this week?” date. Maybe studying up on new skills isn’t as fun as your last girl’s night out, but guaranteed it’s better than some of the Tinder dates you’ve been on.

Long story short: I book an official night in my calendar (I like Tuesday nights, personally. I’m less “Monday blues” then, but I’m also not “It’s almost the weekend, let’s happy hour” yet either) to sit down for some me-time. I try to plan for three hours, but I’m gentle with myself. Sometimes, you’ve only got an hour or two.

Next, I plan out what I’ll work on in advance—sometimes it’s learning German (long story), sometimes it’s watching YouTube videos on SEO practices or listening to podcasts, and sometimes, it’s doing some writing that’s not related to my job. Regardless, I don’t let myself cancel. Because ghosting is the worst, especially when you’re ghosting yourself.

Focusing On Learning Universal-Slash-Transferable Skills

There are these golden skills that you can take with you anywhere—and that make you the ideal candidate for growing in your current company. By prioritizing those skills in your free time, it’s a win-win situation.

A while back I wrote about my first experience taking an online course with Open Campus at the New School. Over six weeks, I learned all about the concept of “design thinking” from an expert in the field.

The beauty of the program was that you can apply design thinking to any industry or job. And so, it’s a skill that I’ve used at Career Contessa where my role has evolved rapidly over the last three years, in my freelance work with clients, and one that’s resume-friendly as well, regardless of where I head next.

When I heard that Open Campus is offering a new course in data visualization and infographics I wanted in. Not only is “data visualization” very buzzworthy right now (we see it all the time when we’re curating the job postings for our site), it’s also another one of those incredibly useful skillsets that you can transfer between projects and jobs.

Obviously, data is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to selling your work. There’s a reason why there’s so much focus on results. Still, there’s an art to using data to tell an attention-grabbing story. And so, people who understand the process of data visualization are professional unicorns (to use another buzzy term)—they’re the ones you want on your team and front and center at any big presentation or client meeting. Why wouldn’t you want that unicorn to be you?

Making Better Use of the In-Between Moments

Don’t get me wrong, I love a podcast as much as the next millennial, but for the next few months, I’m switching it up by using my weekday commute to listen to books I should have read a long time ago. I’ve been trying to split them into two categories—general knowledge and work-related insight. So right now, I’m listening to Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (for cultural perspective/essential knowledge) and The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now (for a work project).

I’ve also recently started listening to podcasts during my workouts, which I always thought sounded insane (I’m a runner and always listened to...well pretty much only Prince, honestly). Turns out, I actually like a narrative in my earbuds, especially on my longer weekend runs. I’m just saying, don’t knock it ‘til you try it.

Getting Choosy About Social Outings

I live in a walkable neighborhood where most of my friends live also, which is great—until you fall into a rut of going to the same bar with the same friends week after week and you begin to feel like your conversations have gotten stale. This is not my friends’ fault—I’ve quickly realized it’s me. When you don’t do things outside of your comfort zone, you don’t have much to say over drinks.

Over the last month or so, I’ve made a few new rules for myself about when and why I can go out. I’m more intentional about making plans with friends I haven’t seen in a while but also taking an active role in reaching out to people who have always seemed cool, but who I don’t know that well. Adult friendships are hard, so at a certain point, you’ve just got to blatantly ask someone on a friend date.

I’ve also gotten more deliberate about going out to events even by myself—to lectures, to see documentaries I’ve wanted to see, even just with a picnic blanket and a book to the park.  I’m researching where I can do some volunteer work for an organization that’s important to me and where, hopefully, I’ll meet some like-minded people as I spend time doing good. Speaking of solo networking opportunities, meeting like-minds is also a huge bonus for programs like the ones offered by the Open Campus, where you can interact directly with your classmates—people from all over the U.S.—and stay in touch after the program ends (always, always add them on LinkedIn!).

Literally Updating My Resume

I've been at Career Contessa for three years almost to the day, and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Like most people, that means I’ve let my LinkedIn, resume, and personal site fall to pieces. OK, not completely—but still, none of them reflect any of the work I’ve done at CC in the last couple years.

I’ve set a goal for myself to have everything updated by the end of the year, including giving my website a complete visual overhaul. Because sometimes, you just want a refresh. And hey, if I land a new after-hours freelance gig out of it? Well, that might just pay for a better summer vacation next year—one free from Netflix binges and full of tropical beaches.