Well keeping up - to - date with professional development requirements is a surefire way of supporting oneself in an unstable employment market. People spend the formative years of their life in schools, colleges and universities, there are certain restrictions in place and various study requirements to be met.

Students hanker after more freedom and yearn for professional success. Cut to a professional environment, they are in for a rude shock, as it does not take too long for them to realism that the workplace is equally daunting with even a higher degree of intensity.

The competitive learning environment poses still newer challenges as the erstwhile students and the present employees are judged constantly on performance capabilities and in the process are getting bench-marked against their colleagues and peers.

When the present employee was still studying for a qualification, he or she had well defined goal posts, the workplace changed the equation by moving the goalposts constantly, consistently raising the bar all the

The reasons for the competitive state is not difficult to fathom, it could be due to the arrival of new technology, the demands placed by discerning customers, some newly enacted legislation or a new chief executive has taken over the organization and wants to run it according to his vision.

Sooner than later the staff begins to feel the implications of these changes. When some organizations find a direct benefit they go ahead and provide learning opportunities to their employees.

The kind of training offered may not always turn out to be the same that is required for furthering the employee's career. To protect their employ-ability, employees need to take charge of their personal development, as studies have found a strong correlation between continuous learning and sustained employment prospects.

Employees who actively undertake learning activities are viewed as much more able to adapt to the ever changing requirements of a given organization and they definitely have a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Candidates who consistently demonstrate the fact that they are conscientious about personal development come across as highly motivated and positively engaged. When they are open to learning, it sends across a message that such employees are quite flexible, adaptable and ensure continuous improvement in the ethos at the workplace, all of these would surely appeal to any employer.

Look for ways to enhance performance by attending workshops, go for mentoring, some guided reading, work shadowing or even online study. It is easy to lose sight of the job market when one is keeping busy at work. Successful employees need to put the finger on the pulse, by checking out the adverts periodically.

One needs to constantly update knowledge or risk losing credibility for self and the organization. It is a good practice to keep abreast with the happenings in a given field by reading professional journals and trade press.