Seven Ways to Increase Your Employability

Having interviewed many job applicants for more than a decade, I have seen my share of the best and the worst.

The best ones are gems that come by once in awhile and HR practitioners like me rejoice when we sense a perfect fit. The worst ones (people with questionable characters) are more difficult to detect because it takes time and a lot of background checking to know the true nature of a person.

Interestingly, majority of job applicants fall in between the best and the worst. These people are essentially good, but they have not yet developed into their full potential nor have they mastered the art of job hunting. Like rough diamonds, all they need is some polishing to shine in the job hunting game.

If you want to increase your employability, here are seven practical tips that you can do to become more marketable and to find a job that is right for you.

1) Upgrade Your Skills
Whether you are a new graduate or a transitioning worker, you need to stay on top of your game by continuously learning and upgrading your skills. To do this, you can make it a point to learn something new every year by reading books, attending seminars or studying online. Develop your communication and people skills, as well as technical or computer know-how. Nowadays, information is very accessible, so there shouldn’t be any excuse for not learning.

2) Get Experience
If you are a new graduate, do not let lack of experience stop you from getting a good job. There are many ways to get experience such as volunteer work, internship or being active in community group activities. If you have work samples or project portfolios, show them. These can get you in the door and could even lead you to a good job.

3) Develop a Pleasant Attitude
Most recruitment officers look for skills and experience when they read through resumes. But when you come face to face with them during an interview, it is your personality that they will respond to. If you are pleasant, positive and generally likeable, you are more likely to impress them. HR practitioners look for people that are easy to work with and manage.

4) Enhance Your Image
From your resume photo to your actual interview, take the time to groom yourself and dress properly. Not only will you impress your recruitment officer but you will also earn his or her respect. Like a precious gem, you need to cut and polish it to be able to present it as a valuable commodity and command a good price. When you look presentable, you will become more marketable.

5) Improve Your Online Presence
Social Networking Sites are becoming very popular and quite a few HR practitioners are beginning to use these resources as a way to do background checks on potential candidates. They may look into your facebook, friendster or multiply accounts, so be sure to keep a decent profile of yourself. Avoid bikini shots and inappropriate words that may destroy your reputation. Meanwhile, if you have a blog, an online resume or website that you are proud of, you can include them as part of your portfolio.

6) Build Your Network of Contacts
In business, the more connections you have, the better your chances of success. The same is true when you are looking for employment, especially in the field of sales and marketing. When you are well-connected and willing to tap your network to succeed in your job, your value as a job candidate instantly increases. So be sure to mention people or groups that you are connected with either socially or professionally, it will definitely increase your employability.

7) Do Your Homework
Employers and HR practitioners love it when you show sincere interest in their company. So before an interview, research about the company and visit their website. Let the interviewer know that you have done so by asking questions or referring to their website. You can even go as far as sharing ideas or projects that you can contribute to help the company succeed. Taking the time to show that you are really interested in working for their company will make them more interested in you.

Many people get frustrated and discouraged in job hunting because they think lack of education or work experience is hindering their chances of getting a job. Although these are important, there are several ways to get educated and gain experience. More importantly, there are other factors that can make you very marketable. So believe that you can be a gem of an employee and start increasing your employability today!

Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and the managing director for HR Club Philippines. They conduct seminars on Corporate Skills Development, HR Management, Job Evaluation, Labor Law and Trainers Training. Together with her team, she has recently launched the INSTANT HR TOOLKIT, a service that provides HR practitioners with over 100 ready-to-use downloadable, customizable and printable HR manuals, contract, letters forms and templates. To know more about HR seminars that they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com or call (632)6874645. To know more about the Instant HR Toolkit, you may visit www.hrclubphilippines.com. You may email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com