Becoming an Valuable Candidate and Employee.

As you are reading this article, You might be a graduating student or someone who is very content in your career. On the other side, you may be unhappy with your source of income, or might want to make sure that you can get onto the best career ladder once you graduate. Whichever of these situations you find yourself in, becoming more employable is a necessity and something that can bring you a lot of benefits. It also helps to increase your value as a potential candidate and in cases where you desire a raise in your current role. So here are some of the ways that you can make yourself more attractive in your professional environment. Take action, learn, improve your skills, and be ready for a transformational progress in your career.

Use Social Media To Help

Whether you love it or hate it, social media plays a very important role in employment and recruitment. When you are active on social media platforms and are able to build a strong presence – this does not mean an overwhelming quantity of content – , you are likely to increase your chances of getting the job that you want, or moving up in the job that you currently hold. One of the best things to do is to start with an up-to-date profile on a site like LinkedIn. It can help you to connect with others and to improve your employment prospects. Even if you have a job that you are comfortable with, you will be able to get notifications from agencies and recruiters looking for candidates like yourself.

Keep a Resume Up to Date

In the early days of your career, you are likely to complete several training courses or take on extra responsibilities where you work; it is so important to add those to your resume. Writing this all up only when you need to, for a job application, for instance, can be tricky and time consuming. So to make sure that you don’t forget important details, write things up on your resume template as soon as they happen.

There are a few other elements that can make a resume attractive to staffing professionals such as:

• Links to your social media profiles (as long as they are up to date and appropriate) depending on your professional industry
• There are various opinions as to whether a resume saved as a Word document is better than one saved as a PDF. My suggestion is to maintain your resume very simple without extravagant font styles. Either option is effective, however make sure that your formatting stays constant as you send your document. To be on the safe side, I recommend sending yourself the resume over different networks to see the results.

Improve Your Tech Skills

You don’t have to work specifically in IT in order to have basic good IT skills or improve your technical aptitude. These days, so much of what we do at work is technology related and it will put you at an advantage if you understand the basics of software, particularly enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as Oracle, SAP, Workday, etc.

Always Look For Ways To Learn

It can be all too easy to become complacent with your career and your skills, and they can easily plateau, especially if you don’t work at improving the skills that you have. If you have a job that you’ve held for a while, look for opportunities to sharpen your skills, improve your knowledge and be up to date with your industry. Scheduling time monthly so that you can learn something new is important. For instance, an individual working in the healthcare sector, even if not in a medical role, could look for some free CPR classes; an accountant may look to learn more about other accounting software. Scheduling the time is important, because it is much less likely to happen unless you make that commitment and book it in.

Be Proactive in Your Career

You are likely to have heard the old adage that the early bird catches the worm. It may sounds like a cliche, but it is very true, especially when it comes to your own career. If you are proactive and look to make things happen, and ‘get there early’, you will make the most of a lot of great opportunities. It is a good idea to not sit and wait for employment opportunities to find you, as they rarely will. If you want to make yourself more employable, and get the career that you want to be living, then look around, ask questions, learn, and make decisions. Someone with a proactive attitude can go a long way, as well as help to promote a positive work ethic. This can show to potential employers that you are a candidate that takes initiative and is willing to work hard.

Dress Smartly

First impressions, when it comes to your career are crucial. Whether you want to progress where you are, or want to get a new role, dressing more smartly and appropriately will set you apart from others. On a similar note, looking sharp when heading to get a job or go to an interview should be a no brainer. There is never a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure that the impressions that you are making count.

Network

If looking to transition or change jobs, chances are that you already have an idea of the type of industry that you want to be in. And if there is an industry or a specific profession that you are interested in, then it is a good idea to start networking. This can be easily done online if need be, through things like joining forums or perhaps groups that are dedicated to the specific industry. Ask others for help, especially those who have the expertise and the experience that you’re looking for.

On a slightly different note, if you know a lot about a certain industry, but are finding that you can’t find many experts in that field, then it could be a good idea to start something of your own, such as a forum or even a blog, and you could establish yourself as an expert in that industry.