We promised you the BEST and ONLY career guide you will ever need – and here we are! This is the first article of a series that we will dedicate to 13 career resources EVERYONE should have. If you haven’t read our introduction article to the 13 career resources, make sure to read it here before you continue with this article. That way, you will be can get the maximum benefit out of it!
So, let’s dive into the science of our first career resource – occupational expertise!
What is occupational expertise?
Occupational expertise is the knowledge, skills, and competences that are specific to your occupation. For example, if you work in finance, you should be fluent in carrying out analyses in Excel. But if you work in recruiting, then your ability to find the right people for a position, is crucial.
Every occupation has its very own skills that are in the foreground. And these are the skills that make you an expert in your field.
You probably first encountered these occupational-specific skills at university or in internships. Or if you are a student, you are probably taking classes that introduce to and train you in the occupational expertise of your field.
Occupational expertise is at the very core of your job and closely related to your job tasks. Unsurprisingly, research has found that when you have a higher level of occupational expertise, you are more likely to:
- be satisfied with your career success
- perceive that your work is highly valued by your current employer
- perceive more job opportunities from other employers
What is your level of occupational expertise?
Here are a few questions you can reflect on, in order to determine how well occupational expertise is incorporated in your work life:
- Do others see me as an expert in my occupation?
- Do I have substantial knowledge and skills relevant to my occupation?
If you are a student, you can reflect on similar questions:
- Do others see me as an expert in my desired occupation/in my studies?
- Am I learning substantial knowledge relevant to my desired occupation?
- Am I acquiring a very high level of expertise and skill relevant to my desired occupation?
Some of these questions may be trickier to reflect on than others. Keep in mind that you don’t need to have all the answers in this very moment. You can take your time to reflect on them.
For example, now that you are aware of these reflection questions, you can start paying attention to how your colleagues interact with you. Are you the person they turn to for questions related to job tasks? If yes, then chances are, they see you as someone with high occupational expertise.
How to step up your game.
There are a number of actions you can take to increase your level of occupational expertise.
Most employers offer formal trainings for occupation-specific skills for their employees. Or have a look whether any interesting (online) conferences relevant to your occupation are scheduled soon. Conferences can be a great way to learn from others and hear about the newest developments in your field.
Platforms like LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Skillshare are a great way to learn new skills at your own time. These platforms are also available to students!
If you are a student, check out what courses your university career services offer and choose what seems most relevant to your desired occupation. Also, some aspects of occupational expertise are not taught in classrooms, so definitely consider doing internships in the field you are interested in.
Most employers support their employees’ pursuit of deeper occupation-specific skills and competences. So, do not hesitate to talk to your supervisor about opportunities, both internal and external to the company!
Okay, so that’s concluding our exploration of occupational expertise as a career resource. Stay tuned for Career Resource No. 2 – coming soon!
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November 1, 2021This post is based on the following sources and academic articles:
Eby, L. T., Marcus, B., & Angie, L. (2003). Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), 689–708.
Hirschi, A. (2012). The career resources model: An integrative framework for career counsellors. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(4), 369–383.
Hirschi, A., Nagy, N., Baumeler, F., Johnston, C. S., & Spurk, D. (2018). Assessing key predictors of career success: development and validation of the career resources questionnaire. Journal of Career Assessment, 26(2), 338–358. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072717695584
McQuaid, R. W., & Lindsay, C. (2005). The concept of employability. Urban Studies, 42(2), 197–219.
