Redundancy Looming – How to save your job
In today’s market where there is a tough fight for every vacancy getting a new job is not easy. What is important to remember when job seeking is that employability is not just defined by the skills and experience you have. Now days behaviour, attitude and aptitude are just as important. What you need to do in order to get a job in a tough market is try to be a better version of YOU as a person. Here are some ideas which may help you become the person who stands out from the rest:
Know What Employers Are Looking For
There are several key qualities employers are looking for now days and somehow you need to demonstrate these ideals within your CV maybe as key skills. Firstly you need to show a positive ‘can do’ attitude. The fact that you are focussed with good commercial awareness is also very important. You need to demonstrate that you are a good team player capable of working in collaboration with others, this is also very important. Other qualities to mention on your CV are good personal presentation, integrity, honesty and reliability.
Extra-Curriculum Activities Interest Employers
Listing as going out the friends and family as your main interest on your CV is not going to hack it in the current market. Employers are looking for a more dynamic individual, they want to see you are interested in more than just yourself. This is easily demonstrated on your CV if you do charity work of any kind particularly if you do voluntary work or take part in fundraising events. Employers also like interesting people so if you sing in a band, play an instrument, belong to a theatre group or really enjoy reading a particular genre of books make sure you promote these interests.
Be Up To Date
Today’s employers are still looking for qualified people but they are also looking for employees who can create a path to the future. They are seeking people who are motivated, have a good attitude who are able to manage their time strategically. Furthermore, in todays workplace you need excellent communication in terms of liaising with people online, over the telephone and by email. It is important that not only are your communication skills good but they are also up to date.
Adjust Your CV To Suit The Job You Are Applying For
Nowadays a generic CV isn’t likely to perform well. These days most employers with have a list of exact requirements they want for a particular role. These can often be very useful to you as they can help you to modify your CV to suit the position. It is advisable to fashion your CV in sync with the things an employers wants to know about you and how you will be an asset to the organisation. No fibs though as these will be found out.
Emphasise Your Soft Skills
Today businesses are rapidly transforming around soft skills. Skills like teamwork, time management etc are becoming more critical than ever. If you lack these skills, you need to work on developing them. Getting engaged in different activities like volunteering, community projects etc would greatly help you to develop good soft skills that you can bring into the workplace
Use Your Contacts
Professional networking will really help your develop your career, attain career goals and frankly get a job. Try to develop relationships with people who might work in your industry sector or who might introduce you to a prospective employer. LinkedIn is a good way to meet business pals and people from your commercial environment. Another idea is to join business groups. Finally use your mates, do they have any vacancies within their organisation that could be right you.
Put Yourself In An Employers Shoes
To get noticed by prospective employers you need to understand their requirements. This is where you need to know the difference between a benefit and a feature. Benefits are something that an employer is going to get if they employ you, while features are the strengths that you need to show on your CV. Having said that, you need to understand your core strengths and be able to demonstrate in writing your key skills. Since the recruitment process mainly involves comparing you with the person you would be replacing or coupling you with the ideal person the employer has in their mind for the role you need to be aware of your USPs. Clearly mention them in your CV and keep them in mind when answering questions in an interview
Be A Social Butterfly
Get yourself our there, many employers these days use social media platforms to find the right candidates, you should put in every effort to get noticed (in a positive way of course) on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+ Definitely list your education and work experience in your profile, you can achieve a lot across these platforms. For instance on Facebook, Google and Twitter you can “like” and “follow” pages of relevant Companies to get updated about them, this could help you find out about job vacancies. Posting content relating to your job search on these Sites can also get you noticed by prospective employers.
Prepare Well For An Interview
Remember you only have one chance to prove yourself in an interview situation. Firstly you need to understand your target employer very clearly, the industry it belongs to and the services or products it offers. Check the employer’s website to get a good understanding of them. Check their social media platforms to get to know how they pitch themselves in the market. Once you have done your research it’s time to practice responses you will give to questions asked in the interview, remember always be positive about your last role and don’t forget to promote your soft skills. Finally remember to have a list of questions you would like to ask them in order to get a better understanding of the position, the Company culture and the overall organisation.
Well I hope this has helped you even if only in a small way, getting a job today is a lot harder than it has been for a long time so you need to work really hard to achieve this or else you may find you are unemployed for a long time.