Career Focus: 5 Ways to Be More Employable

Job competition, particularly for graduate employment, is becoming increasingly fierce. It also implies that you should begin thinking about how to improve your employability as soon as possible! Because of the coronavirus epidemic, the world is changing quickly and radically. We’re having to change how we live our lives daily, including how we study and work.

You will need a clear long-term vision of where you want to go. You should have an outline of what it takes to get there. Understand skillsets needed to accomplish goals and how to attain those skills. Having the willingness to move when and where it is most beneficial to attaining goals for your career focus is very important.

In job-hunting, having a degree already gives you a significant edge. Being able to show that you can complete a difficult academic qualification is likely to impress any employer. For landing your first graduate job, though, you may find it difficult if you rely solely on your degree to impress the employer.

Whether you’re looking for work or want to advance your career, the recruitment environment has become more difficult as economies around the world enter recession, industries are disrupted, and businesses make major changes quickly. In this article, we will give you the most important ways to be more employable.

Understanding the Graduate Job Market

Each company has its own recruitment strategy, so do your research and tailor your application accordingly.

Smaller companies looking for individual graduates will want you to work almost immediately after you finish your degree in the summer, while top graduate recruiters such as PwC, Unilever, and DHL have early closing dates before Christmas.

It’s crucial to time your applications and fit them around your exams and coursework.

What is Employability?

In this article, we are discussing ways to be more employable as it relates to career focus. So, we will use the following definition: Employability is a set of achievements—skills, understandings, and personal attributes—that makes graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community, and the economy- M. Yorke (2004). Employability in higher education: what it is, what it is not, The Higher Education Academy/ESECT.

Employability, therefore, is not just about getting a job; it is about a broader set of skills and attributes that will enable a graduate to be successful throughout their working life. Why is being employable important?

Your career is likely to involve many job roles and employers, and even if you stay in the same job, it is likely to change its nature. Therefore, employability skills are useful as they are transferable; you can adapt them to whichever situation you find yourself in.

5 Ways to Be More Employable

I’ve put together a list of things you can do around your studies which could help your future self get the job you’ve been dreaming of:

Have a strong curriculum vitae.
Make a squeaky-clean online presence.
Make connections and build a network.
Obtain some work or internship experience.
Volunteering is a great way to get experience.

1. Have a strong curriculum vitae

Your CV will give an employer your first impression of you, so make it a good one. Present yourself professionally and make a list of the qualifications that are most relevant to the position you are applying for. If you’re looking for a job in a law firm, it’s unlikely that they’ll notice that you worked in a café when you were 15. Include it if you gained really useful skills (for example, resolving challenging circumstances and being dynamic). Keep it short and sweet, and make sure it’s tailored to the job you’re applying for.

If you have a poor CV, you need to master: How To Write A Professional Resume Summary + Examples

2. Make a squeaky-clean online presence

Most employers will conduct a web search for you, so make sure you’re easy to locate. Create a LinkedIn profile—similar to an online CV, this allows users to find a professional account describing things like your past experience and education. Think beyond the box with what an employer will look for. Personally, I’d like to pursue a career in music journalism, so I maintain a personal blog where I review shows, which I’ll add to my resume when the time comes. Also, ensure that your presence is positive! Examine your social media accounts for anything that you believe would turn off a potential employer.

3. Making connections and networking

Nowadays, who you know is more important than what you know. So, build some contacts; they’ll come in handy when it’s time to look for work. To do this, use your online presence: follow individuals on Twitter or Facebook and engage with them! Also, reach out to your LinkedIn network; you’d be shocked at how many individuals in your business will know someone you could contact. Guest lectures and meet-the-industry days are two events hosted by the institution that can be valuable. A list of them can be found here.

4. Find a job or an internship that will allow you to get experience

This is without a doubt the most effective approach to increasing your employability. It shows to potential employers that you are committed to your professional development and, if unpaid, that you are prepared to work for free in order to gain experience. Indeed.com frequently posts internships, so keep an eye out there. Remember to choose anything relevant-I’m pursuing a degree in journalism and am now working as an unpaid intern at an online publication.

5. Volunteer

Demonstrate your work ethic once more. Volunteering can be a lot of fun and gratifying, and there are so many opportunities! Look online or visit locations like charity shops or community centers; they’re always in need of extra hands.

Your Need for Employability Skills

The non-technical skills needed to get a job are known as employability skills. Soft skills are often referred to as such. These skills are highly valued by employers and industry. When looking for work, your ability to share examples of how you developed these talents is valuable. Employers have more options when there is a high level of unemployment, so those with well-rounded employability skills will be preferred.

The ever-changing nature of technology is one explanation for this. Every day, technology advances, and if you don’t keep up with it to stay relevant in your field, you’ll lag your colleagues. Employers are now emphasizing the importance of “employability skills,” which go beyond qualifications and experience, which is another reason why many people are having trouble starting their careers.

5 Ways to Build your Career

While organizations attempt to help you advance your career, the responsibility ultimately falls on your shoulders. You must understand that your job is not your profession. Your job is merely a tool to help you advance in your career.

Set a goal for yourself.

You must have a long-term strategy for what you want to achieve in your profession. After you’ve figured it out, you’ll need to map out a path to get there. What do you need to do to advance in your career? What do you want to be doing in five to ten years? If there is no obvious line between where you are now and where you want to be in the future when you look at your current job and career path, you need to strategize.

Be proactive in your approach.

Be proactive in achieving your goals. For example, let’s imagine you’re a salesperson who wants to work in customer service. It’s up to you to communicate this to your boss and to be proactive about taking on activities that will help you improve your customer service skills. Take advantage of opportunities when you see them. Make it clear to your coworkers and contacts that you are looking for chances in such fields.

Keep an eye out for opportunities to learn new skills

According to a saying, success is often an obstacle to growth. Have you ever had to leave a job and then discovered, while looking for a new one, that your industry has progressed and your abilities have become obsolete?

Focusing on your job rather than your career can give you a false feeling of security, leading you to believe that you don’t need to learn anything new or improve on what you already know. It’s possible that your talents will become obsolete or irrelevant. You should keep your abilities up to date and learn new skills outside of your field. It’s impossible to predict when you’ll need it.

At work, take charge.

Be willing to venture outside of your comfort zone and take on duties that aren’t related to what you’ve worked so hard for but that you believe will benefit your long-term career goals. Having skills that the person who came before you didn’t want to learn can make you a valuable asset to any company.

Look for a mentor.

Having a mentor might help you stay focused on your job goals. You’ll need someone to talk to when you’re making job decisions, as well as someone who can give advice based on your own experience in making a wonderful career.

You should frequently question yourself, “Would I fit into a new company with ease if I was let go or if there was a reason for me to leave?” Is this something I want to do for the next few years?

When you concentrate on your career rather than your job, you shift your attention from fulfilling your deliverables to improving yourself and becoming the best version of yourself. You become more interested in the value you can bring and the challenges you can solve. It also motivates you to remain current as industries change.

If you need mentorship for your business, you need to discover: How To Find A Mentor For Your Business In 2022 | Full Guide

The Top 5 Skills You Need to Succeed in Your Career

The goal of going to college is not just to get a degree, but to land a career as well. Obviously, employers want to make sure you are qualified by having the degree, but they also need to know if you have the skillset too.

Critical thinking and problem-solving
Teamwork and collaboration
professionalism and a strong work ethic.
Oral and written communication skills
Leadership

Evaluating your skills and establishing areas of strength and weaknesses to improve upon is the first step to landing your ideal career. The more you use critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism, work ethic, oral and written communication, as well as leadership skills, the more appealing you will be to many people who hire people.

The most important employability skills are in the areas of getting along with and working well with other people, such as communication skills and other interpersonal skills; Being reliable means doing what you say you will by the deadline you have agreed to, and turning up when you are there.

FAQ

Work experience

Your career aspirations are your vision for the future.

Those who possess a high level of technical expertise are almost always able to find employment as needed.

Soft skills include attributes and personality traits that help employees interact with others and succeed in the workplace.

Construction workers are the happiest workers for a reason—they do what humans are built for! They plan, move, and use their bodies while watching their creative works come to life.

Conclusion

Over the course of a lifetime, the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work, and you can’t afford to waste any of those hours feeling unfulfilled. Building a career that you are proud of causes taking planned and intentional steps. You are the only one who cares about your success.

Becoming a more employable prospect brings a lot of benefits and increases your self-worth. You never know when you may need to find a new job or sell yourself to your current employer for a promotion.