How To Increase Your Employability

With millions of people out of work, it is now more important than ever to stand out in the employment market. Because there are so many applicants for each job, many of them overqualified, even if you get an interview your chances of winning the position are pretty slim. But don’t despair, because there are plenty of steps you can take to boost your chances. Sometimes it’s just about adopting a new approach, for example:

Tailor Your CV: Don’t just send out the same CV for every job you apply for. Think carefully each time: what particular skills are they looking for and how can you demonstrate these? Of course, it’s more time-consuming, but ensuring your CV reflects the right attributes for the job each time gives you a much better chance of winning an interview. Also, keep your CV as clear and succinct as possible. So many are sent out for each job today that an employer will simply not have time to read pages and pages. 

Grammar Is Key: If you’re not particularly confident in this area, then improving English grammar is so important. To begin with, no employer will take your CV seriously if it is badly worded and contains spelling mistakes. It will go straight on the ‘no’ pile. Read through your CV very carefully before you send it out and get someone with excellent English skills to check it too. 

In any case, it’s worth improving English grammar for your long-term career prospects. Even if you do win the job, you won’t be very successful if your literacy skills are poor. If you have to be sending out emails regularly, your employers won’t be happy if your writing is creating a poor impression of their company. Why not take an online English course to get you up to par? It can help you in any career path you choose.

Online Networking: Get talking to people in job or business forums, or in the industry sectors you are looking to break into. You would be surprised how much valuable advice you can pick up from talking to those already working in the industry. Also, if you establish yourself on Facebook and Twitter as a keen, knowledgeable and enthusiastic person then the online contacts you have made may remember you if you apply for a vacancy in their organisation. A word of warning though: make sure you adjust your Facebook privacy settings. Those pictures of you on a drunken night out? You don’t want a potential employer setting their eyes on them.

Interview Skills: Whether it’s applying for as many jobs as possible, even if you don’t necessarily want them, or getting your friends to do ‘mock’ interview with you – you need to practice your interview technique as much as you can. The trick is to strike the right balance between not appearing too formal and awkward, and not being so laid back you’re practically putting your feet up on the conference table. It’s worth finding out a little about the company you’re looking to join beforehand: some places are actually looking for a more laid-back employee, whilst others will expect you to adhere to a certain etiquette.