6 Ways to Become Super Employable
Enad Abu Naser, Assoc. CIPD, GRP
Total Rewards I Workforce Planning I People Analytics I People Development I Organization Development I Faculty Member at WorldatWork
Have you ever wondered how to make yourself more employable? Well if you have, you’re not alone. Having a job is hard, really hard. You could spend hours, days or even weeks on end looking for jobs that best fit your skill set. Or you could spend that time actually focusing on making yourself more qualified for the position.
If you want to know how to become more employable and earn more money, then this article is for you. The article will provide you with many useful tips and information that will help you find a job sooner than later.
Now it's time to be bold, especially if you're unemployed, you need to start thinking like an employer. The following five steps will help you stand out from the crowd and become more employable, enabling you to find your perfect employment match:
1. Figure out what exactly makes you 'unemployable'
If you're not getting the job offers you want, it's time to dig into the details and figure out what exactly makes you unemployable. Is it your resume? Your cover letter? Your interviews?
It can be hard to tell, but this is an important question. It's one thing if your skills are outdated or if you never learned the relevant software or if you didn't do well at your last job. It's something else entirely if it's how you're presenting yourself to the world.
The first step is to pinpoint which part of your job search is going wrong. Do your applications get rejected out of hand because of typos and grammatical errors? Do they get ignored because of a poor explanation of why you left your last job or why you want a new one? Or do people just not respond to your cover letter and resume, so that your interviews never happen?
Examine each reason, and figure out whether there is something you can do about it. You don't have to be perfect; there are always tradeoffs. Some of these are easier to fix than others. But once you know them all, you can address them one by one. If you don't like your job, for example, do something to change it. Don't be in denial.
2. Think about yourself as a product
Find the value you bring to an employer. First, you need to have a mindset that is focused on being employable rather than just being a great engineer, for example. The difference between the two mindsets is the difference between being a great employee and a terrible one.
Second, you need to understand that employers care about different things at different stages of your career. Once you know what they care about, you can tailor your approach and interview answers accordingly. In other words, you need to know how to "sell" yourself to employers at different stages in your career. And the best way to do that is by understanding what they think when they look at your profile or scan your interview answers.
It's easy to forget that employers are buying skills and capabilities. It's harder for us to see ourselves as a product than as a person, because we're all too used to seeing ourselves as the customer.
So let's do an exercise: Try to think of yourself as a product. What skills and capabilities do you offer that would make someone want to buy you? These might be your hard skills: your ability to code, or speak Chinese, or understand statistics, or write clearly and concisely. But they also include your soft skills: your ability to work well with others, manage up and sideways, set priorities, and so forth.
Companies tend to look for candidates who have multiple strong skill sets. They want employees who can learn their way into the job quickly because they'll need to learn new things almost daily. And they want people who can grow into other roles within the organization over time. So what you really want is not just one skill or even several skills but a portfolio of them that can be applied in different ways.
3. Convince employers you’re worth the money
The first step is to actually know what you're applying for. This means going beyond the job description. The actual daily activities of a role will be outlined here, but few job descriptions tell you what the role is really about. In fact, it's amazing how many people apply without an understanding of the big picture - they have no idea how their role fits into the overall business strategy, or even if it does at all!
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Knowing why your role is important to the company will help you think about how you can make it more valuable. It will also make it easier for you to sell yourself in interviews because you'll know exactly what your potential employer needs.
So how do you communicate your value to an employer? You can do it by emphasizing the importance of the job you’re looking for to the employer.
A lot of candidates think that communication with employers is all about them, their track record, their experience, their education, and their skills. But employers don’t care about any of that stuff. They care about one thing: whether or not you can help them achieve their goals. And that means that communication with employers is all about highlighting how what you do helps them achieve their goals.
The less you know about the value of the job, the less likely it is that you'll be able to match what they need with what you have to offer. But when you have a clear sense of why they need someone in that position, then deciding if it is right for you becomes a lot easier.
4. Build your portfolio
Creating a portfolio is a must do for anyone seeking employment. This portfolio will make you stand out from the crowd. It will highlight your skills, capabilities, achievements and potential.
Your portfolio can include anything that demonstrates your capabilities in different areas of study or work. It could be the research papers you have written, the designs for products you have created or any other thing you can think of that shows your skills and capabilities.
You should compile this portfolio before you look for employment. If you are already employed but are looking to move to another job, then put together a new and improved portfolio and use it to apply for other jobs.
5. Develop relevant skill set
To become employable, you should understand the job requirements and develop relevant skill set that are required for the jobs you're interested in. By doing this, you get your foot in the door to compete for your dream job.
The skills required for the jobs may change depending on time and technology advancement. The understanding of this requirement is essential to know what kind of skill set you need to develop to get the job. To get a good job, it's not enough to be smart or hardworking. The competition is fierce and employers want to hire people who are qualified for the positions they are hiring for.
It is important to take notes of what qualifications employers look for when hiring. You can also read online about these, or ask someone who works in that field or has experience hiring people. For example, if you are applying for a position in marketing, then research will show that employers look for specific skills when recruiting candidates. These can range from communication skills, analytical abilities, to formal qualifications like a degree in marketing or business administration.
6. Build your personal brand
Everyone has a personal brand. Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, your personal brand is important. And it's getting more important every day. Your personal brand is what people think of you, and whether they want to do business with you. It is how you come across in person and on paper: your name, your email address, your business card, your SharedSeed profile, your Twitter account, your blog posts, and so on.
Your personal brand should also be consistent with who you are. If you are not being true to yourself, it will be difficult to convince others that you are being honest, reliable, and trustworthy. Your personal brand must include but not be limited to your possessions or material items that you own or use. It must reflect your character and interests. It must also reflect the person that you are.
It is not something that happens by itself or overnight. It may sound strange to say this, but the most important part of a personal brand is whether other people like working with you. If someone doesn't want to work with you, nothing else matters much.