Sometimes, trying to find a job can feel like the most stressful job on earth. With the current economic situation, that’s true now more than ever. Tens of millions of Americans are out of work due to the pandemic and shifting job trends are forcing workers to learn new skills every year. It can be tough to keep up under any circumstances, let alone during a recession. To help job seekers, LinkedIn has teamed up with Microsoft and Github to provide free courses teaching in-demand skills like graphic design and software development.
LinkedIn researched which skills aligned with the most job openings on the platform, and each field has more than 300,000 current openings.
By using these courses to build skills, you can instantly stand out on your next job application. Here’s what you need to know about the free service!
LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn and GitHub Learning Lab
The program offers learning paths in 10 key disciplines:
- Software developing
- Sales
- Project management
- IT administration
- Customer service
- Digital Marketing
- IT support
- Data analysis
- Financial analysis
- Graphic design
Within each learning path, you’ll find eight courses designed to teach you the fundamentals of the field and the skills you need. For instance, the sales path includes courses covering business-to-business sales, CRM, negotiation, social media, and storytelling.
Any skills you develop can go on your resume and should help you stand out to hiring managers. If you can enter a role with a skillset, as opposed to a company needing to invest resources into training you, your odds and landing the job increase.
See Also: How to Write a Resume: The Short Guide
There are also free courses about general, transferrable soft skills, like teamwork, communication, and emotional intelligence. While these may not make a major difference when you’re looking for a job, they can go a long way in helping you hold a job you like.
Taking Charge of Your Career
Once you’ve mastered a few skills, LinkedIn has a wide variety of tools designed to help you find work too. In addition to the courses listed above, there are also guides for interviewing, networking, and managing your emotions during a job search. You can also set your LinkedIn profile to show that you’re “Open to Work,” signaling recruiters to reach out about openings.
Looking for a job can be a stressful process, but LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Github have tools available to make it easier. All you need to do is click and learn!
