Boosting your employability

Peter Alkema, (www.studentsuccess.coach)

Whether you are at the beginning of your career, trying to get back into the workplace, or even much later on in your career, it’s important to get the basics right.

 

No matter what your circumstances, there are some things you can do that will give you a better chance of getting the job you want. Time management, writing a CV, interview techniques (in person and online), networking and getting a mentor are important.

 

It’s been a tough 18 months for all of us; whatever your situation is, and no matter how bad it is, you will move forward if you take action. Believe in yourself and plan the steps needed to get ahead and to change your circumstances. This will put you in the top 10% of people.

 

Companies are looking to cut costs and if you are a job seeker, you will really have to stand out and be certain about what you want and how to position yourself. As you try to enter the world of work, you will be judged and assessed way before you actually physically take a step inside the company or appear in person before someone. Your internet footprint is already huge, Google knows exactly what you surfed last night and your bank knows where you had dinner last week. There are plenty of candidates for roles these days and employers will make a decision on two equal candidates based on the risk to them. Branding is an important consideration.

 

Tips for how to compile and present a CV

Firstly, don’t add too much detail – quality beats quantity. Don’t worry if you don’t have much work experience; if someone is looking at your CV they already understand this. Just be factual and objective about the work experience you do have and any other skills or experience which are relevant to the job you are applying for. Just find something relevant. Find someone who will write a testimonial about what you did that your future employee will find important.

 

Don’t lie about anything on your CV. Companies usually have automated CV scanning tools and it will easily flag up anything that looks suspicious, and you won’t even get a call back. A cover letter is important to create some context with your CV. Type up something separate and make it look professional. In the cover letter be more specific about your relevance for that company. Find out something they have done recently – just as they can look you up online, so you can look them up.

 

The interview

Hopefully you get the call to say you should come for an interview. Following the 2020/21 pandemic there is a very good chance this will be online. Firstly, be early, but not too early. Dress professionally but not too smart. Gents, there is nothing wrong with a suit and tie, even if it’s a dress down culture. Just because you arrive smartly dressed to the interview doesn’t mean you can’t adapt to their dress culture.

 

Don’t arrive too casual – it’s not so much the impression you will make but the impact to your confidence that matters. Dress for the job you want not the job you have. You won’t have a second chance to make a first impression.

 

In person: Offer a firm handshake and make eye contact. Online: Smile confidently and look at the camera, not at the person on the screen. They will have done their homework and read your CV so don’t go through it again. Just answer the questions but try and answer them in a way that leads you onto information you can give them which builds a positive picture of yourself. The general rule is to be yourself. Whenever I have tried to be someone or do something that doesn’t come naturally to me, that is when I have felt uncomfortable, and it hasn’t worked.

 

Your attitude

Your altitude is determined by your attitude. Most often in the workplace this applies to your attitude to getting your work done. Any organisation is set up to produce value, even a non-profit, the public service or a small home office. Value must be created as efficiently as possible, and this depends on the work ethic of the people. More work is being done by computers and machines, so this is another reason to work hard and make yourself indispensable. Value can always be broken down into smaller and smaller pieces which then get allocated as work within teams, and that work eventually gets broken down into actions.

 

Create a task list

As a habit, you must create and manage a task list. It can be a folder in your email, it can be on a whiteboard or on a tool. I just don’t believe you can keep it in your head. And anyway, when you have a meeting to receive work, you really need to have something in front of you to show that you are accurately documenting what they are saying, what they expect from you and what actions you will take. I believe in the concept of thoughtful action. Don’t blindly rush into ticking off your actions, but also don’t overanalyse them. A tip is to find something on your list that you can get done quite quickly, do that and tick it off. Work on a few actions in parallel. Humans can’t multitask at the same time, but we can multi-action and it will mean that all your work doesn’t get held up at the same time if you have a few actions that you are busy with. Time spent getting organised is time saved. Take some time out to sort your inbox or file the papers on your desk so you can quickly get into a task when next you sit down. If you can literally pick up where you left off, the start-up time for a task doesn’t erode the valuable work time you need to make actual progress.

 

Networking

No matter how talented you think you are, the world of work is a big network, hence the name netWORK. It’s like anything; if you want it to serve you well, then don’t rush it and don’t do it artificially. It will grow organically if you follow the lessons you have learnt about teamwork, communication, sharing credit, getting a coach and more. Early on in your career is when you will have the most freedom and you must enjoy it. But remember, always be professional, manage your internet footprint very carefully and make sure you can draw a line between personal and professional life, colleagues and friends, work hours and personal time.

 

 

Enrol for UP’s free Ready for Work programme on clickUP and learn all the job-seeking and workplace skills you need to be successful at finding a job. Getting Ready for Work is THE UP WAY.