With more competition for the top jobs from around the world, along with a still somewhat depressed economy and government spending cuts, never has there been a greater need to make yourself more employable. Companies need individuals with the skills, work ethic and character to help them prosper in a highly competitive economic environment. If you don’t have the skills and qualities that employers need, it’s likely you’ll be resigned to low-paying jobs, zero-hour contracts and less options in life.
Here we look at five top tips to make yourself more employable and land (and keep) the job you deserve. They don’t involve taking 3 or 4 years out to get a degree and can be done in your spare time…
#5 – Know What An Employer Wants
This may seem like an obvious one, but a point which many job seekers overlook. We assume you already know what type of job you want, or at least which industry you want to work in e.g. IT, engineering, construction, admin etc. There are a number of ways in which you can learn about what potential employers are looking for:
- Read job listings and candidate critieria: simply by looking through job offerings within a particular industry you’ll build up a picture of the types of qualifications, skills and experience that potential employers are seeking. You’ll then know if you have a realistic chance of getting an interview or position and if you’re lacking in area, you can then take any necessary action required to improve your chances, such as doing some home study, taking a night class or perhaps even taking a lower-paid job to give you the necessary experience and/or training
- Go to job fairs where potential employers will be: you can talk to them, get an understanding of how their business works and what type of people they’re looking for. Swap contact information so that they can easily contact you in the future and so that you can follow them up when you’re ready. This will show a potential employer that you’ve got initiative, which is an important quality to almost all employers
- Attend interviews: if you can land a number of interviews with potential employers within your industry, you’ll have a great oppotunity to meet decision makers, learn more about what they’re looking for and have a chance to make an impression. Some employers will re-contact old interviewees months or years after an interview and there is nothing stopping you contacting them again when you’re ready, asking for the people who interviewed you if any positions might be available in the near future