Ah, summertime. Warm weather, grilled food, birds singing, blue skies, children playing, and mid-year skills improvements.

Whether you’re employed or not, it’s a good idea to pump up your skills to make the second half of the year better professionally than the first half was. Here are a few deceivingly important skills that can make your professional life much better:

Typing. Sure, there are a lot of people online. And yes, most of them know how to type correctly. But many do not – including executives and managers. If you don’t know how to type, go to GoodTyping.com to take a free online typing course. You’ll lean how to type correctly in the 27 well organized step-by-step lessons. If you want to know how fast you can type, surf over to TypingTest.com to see how fast you can go.

Word. If you need to get up to speed on Microsoft Word, About.com’s Word Tutorials page is a great place to start. Organized into logical categories, it’s a great way to get up to speed. Since Word is the word processing program found in most offices (and on most computers), it’s essential to have a good working knowledge of it.

Excel. If you aspire to an office-based or management position, you need to know Microsoft Excel. If you already have one of those positions, you can do yourself a huge favor by increasing your aptitude in Excel. Check out this primer from EffectiveICT.co.UK – it’s easy and fun to use.

Leadership. Leaders are not born – they’re made. And leaders tend to make far more money than followers. If you need to improve your leadership skills, go to SlowLeadership.com for daily leadership and management insights you can put into practice right away.

Speaking. Year after year, employers indicate the most desired trait a job seeker can have is the ability to communicate. And, during the course of your career, you’re bound to have to give a few presentations and have several panel interviews. The easy way to improve your ability to speak – and speak in public – is by joining a Toastmasters Club. Membership is quite affordable ($72/year) and it offers you ample opportunity to network.

IN THE CARAVAN: Improve your skills with these free and low-cost solutions.

NEXT WEDNESDAY: Mid-Year Skills Improvements II: Taking the Next Steps

Want more advice on Adding Value? Check out these posts and The Lion's Pride section of WildJobSafari.com!

Check out last Wednesday's post on the job search benefits of Frisbee, swimming and golf.

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