Even if you are happy in your current career, that doesn’t mean you are going to find it easy to find a new job should you need to. Most of the time, that comfort is what stops us from having a drive and aiming for more. The comfort and familiarity actually impede your growth and ability.
However, being in a job is one step ahead of millions of people, so being grateful is essential. But if you either a) want to be more employable or b) want to start getting the attention of the headhunters, then here are some tips for you.
Social Media
Sure, sharing cat and dog photos is cool. But what is cooler is using the platforms to secure yourself in the expert arena. Having an up to date profile on each of the social media sites that you use is going to help people who are looking for what you do. LinkedIn is a particularly powerful space to share your skills and experience. Many like-minded individuals use the platform – as do recruiters.
CV
If your resume is looking a little dusty, then you are going to need to fix it up. Many people still have their high school education on there – even though school was 20 years ago. There will come the point where you will forget everything that you once had on there – and that should be an indication of how much those bits added nothing to your work history. Add the details that matter:
- Higher education qualifications / post-grad / Masters / PhD
- Links to your LinkedIn
- Your big achievement in a work setting
It is a good idea to create a PDF version of your CV to. It is easy to share, and the links are clickable.
Making sure you are up to date with basic IT skills is going to be essential too. You might want to work with someone on making sure that your CV/resume is as detailed and to the point as needed. There is a range of employability and disability employment services providers that can help you with making your CV perfect.
Learning
You can’t stop learning, ever. The minute that you stop learning, you are giving up on career progression of any form. Once your skills begin to the plateau, it is really difficult to make up the ground that is lost. If you have been in the same job for some time, then you probably not fully engaged in personal development or even the new information that will impact your company or sector.
You can approach the people who are in charge of booking things like training and qualifications and ask them if they are willing to put you or a small group forward. If you know, there are a couple of things that you want to gain skills wisely, then do your research in advance and go to them with suggestions to make it work.
Network
There is pretty much no industry that you can break into by speaking to people who are already in it. Networking is a powerful tool when used well. You can learn a lot about a field and a company just by letting people talk. You will find events for every field of work if you check online. Eventbrite is littered with free events that are catering to a specific audience.
If you are in with the right people, you are more likely to hear about openings that are coming up. First, you’ll be able to find a mentor – or at least someone to show you the ropes, and you will have someone to vouch for you should you need it.
Confidence
One of the biggest things that will make you seem unemployable is a lack of confidence. Often busy people don’t have the time to assume you will be great at the job. First impressions count, and if you look like you can’t do the job, or you don’t have the confidence in yourself, then why should they? Tricky. If you are hoping to get hired at a particular company, or you are swapping careers, then you should do a lot of research before you even make an application. So you have the confidence to answer anything with ease.
Your employability levels will go up when you are making proactive decisions and improving your knowledge, the people in your circles, and your knowledge on the company or career in questions.