10 Ways to Increase Your Marketability The current economic market has made job hunting a vital set of skills for increasing numbers of people. But even in the best of economic times, it pays to understand what you can do to make yourself more appealing in the marketplace. Current career trends suggest that an individual will change careers at least 7 times during a lifetime. This reality presents us with the opportunity to fulfill several of our aspirations. No longer do we have to choose only one road. Instead, we can visualize a broader map, and believe that we will likely come across those other roads somewhere down the line. Increasing marketability is a sure way of being more prepared for a career change. The following are ten strategies for sharpening skills and increasing marketability: Visualize. Set aside some time to think about where you are in life, and where you want to be. Are you happy? What parts of your career excite you, and what frustrates you? Where do you want to be in five years? In ten? Give yourself permission to dream. Take Inventory. What activities are you currently doing, both on the job and in your leisure time? What skills do they require? How would you rate your skills? Which ones need improving? How could you sharpen them? Which skills do you enjoy using, and which skills do you wish you used more often? Update your resume. Regularly update your resume. Visiting a local career center or scanning current resume books can keep your resume looking polished. You also may want to have resumes that highlight different skills. For example, you might have one specifically for management positions, and another for advertising positions. Also, keep hard copies of your resume close at hand and give it out freely. Attend Workshops. Take advantage of workshops offered by your employer. Dare to go to a training that doesn’t “exactly fit†your job. For example, if your job requires computer skills, in addition to computer-related workshops, consider attending a workshop on leadership. If your organization doesn’t offer workshops, consider taking a course at a local community college. Cross-train. Make your current job more interesting and enhance your skills at the same time by varying your job responsibilities. Continuously hone your skills that are transferable to other positions, corporations, and even career fields. Always be quick to volunteer for opportunities to learn different skills. Join committees. Committees are a great way to network and to improve skills. Vary the committees on which you serve. Chair a committee. Choose to be on a committee that will challenge you intellectually, emotionally, skill-wise, etc. In other words, make a decision to grow. Do something different. Been doing the same thing for years? Maybe now is the time for change. Try something you’ve always wanted to do, but for whatever reason, haven’t yet. You’ll learn more about yourself, enhance skills, make contacts, and feel alive again. Make new contacts, strengthen the old.Networking is the main way people get interviews. View every opportunity as a networking one. The goal isn’t to determine, “What can this person do for me,†but finding out what you and the other person have to offer each other. Form and maintain relationships at work, through your family, in social organizations, and in your community. Remember, you will need to nurture relationships through staying in touch with your contacts, sending cards, be alert to interesting articles, and other “thinking of you†activities. Volunteer. Volunteering can expand your network and enhance skills. It’s also an easy way to try out some of your career aspirations. Considering a career change that will take you out of the corporate world and into the lives of kids? Try volunteering at your local school. There’s no career risk, just a chance to grow, learn about yourself and give back to your community. Create a Marketability Plan. Perhaps the most important suggestion is to create a marketability plan for yourself. Take a good, hard look at yourself. Ask yourself the tough questions. “If I were an employer, would I hire me?†Make a plan to increase your marketability. Which of these activities could you commit to trying in the next month? Set a goal and a time-line, and get started!
As for number 3; I don't agree. I think resumes are an archaic form of "look-at-me". Most employers look at resumes to find an excuse to not give you an interview. In fact, a lot of big companies use machines to scan resumes for keywords and only contact people with the ones they're looking for. A better way to increase your marketability is to do AMAZING work for people and get three raving, glowing letters or recommendation where people are obviously stupid if they don't hire you immediately.
Hi ColinLiang, I personally agree with you. With a lot of us mostly relying on updating our resumes, we should assume that not all actually look at those resumes but mostly on what you have done in a very productive way that companies think would help them reach their goals as well.
I also think you need some sort of website, preferably a blog. If you're serious about marketing yourself, a blog is the best marketing tool by a huge margin. If you write a ton of very useful and helpful posts then this is what potential employees are thinking, before you even sit down for an interview: -Wow, this guy is smart, she knows her stuff! -This person takes initiative. She's writing all this great content for free! I wonder how hard she'll work when she's actually paid? -Hey, this post is exactly the question I was thinking earlier in the week! Man, that changes the way I look at things. I should offer her a job. -I've read 20 of her blog posts over the past week, I feel like I know her already. A blog could give you credibility and authority because you already have heaps of ideas out there for free. You are quicker positioned in your area as an expert. Best part: a blog is free.
There’s some solid advice in this post. The overriding message is: be proactive. In today’s climate you HAVE to take the initiative. Those who snooze will lose.
i like that. proactive is the perfect word for it. its all about timing. you gotta beat everyone to it or you just wont make it anywhere
I agree with you guys on resume or portfolio, but somehow, resume's are starting point of what you can offer to the company, that is why making the resume's short and simple is the game. Highlighting the best part of what you can offer. This 10 ways are some of what you can do, you can either get some of the qualities which ever works for you. Improvise and yes be more proactive. Thank you for the comments, I highly appreciate it.
Some great advices here. Visualization is a huge one! You can have whatever you want by visualizing that every day and working on it.
I like all the points and especially #3. Yes if the resumes are updated regularly then it provides you a strong base of your reliability and experience.
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Really all 10 points are just amazing however we usually do most of things you describe but its better to keep your list to make a proper plan to Increase Marketability. Thanks for sharing.