Actionable Tips on How to Increase Your Value in the Job Market

In this era of ever-increasing competition in the labour market, what would be the most effective ways to stand out among other job applicants? Whether choosing your professional path, pursuing a career change, or looking for new opportunities, use the tips below to handle some challenges of the hiring process and be fully prepared to get a job of your dream.

Like it or not, it all starts with your ability to present yourself, by that letting your true professional value be noticed by recruiters, employers and people in your network (who can also help).

These days, we have two key self-presentation tools widely used for selecting and hiring job seekers. The first one is an old good resume (despite some opinions, nobody cancelled it). No matter how your landed a job interview, the majority of hiring managers would still expect it from you.

Keep your resume updated

Have you ever been in a situation when you bump into a 'perfect job' ad but cannot apply because don't have a well-written, up-to-date resume or CV? To avoid such disappointments, make sure your resume is done properly and timely. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

- Choose resume format and type based on your background, industry, and targeted position.

- Include the right keywords to be selected among other (sometimes hundreds of) applicants.

- To pass the ATS (mostly used by large companies), your resume should have vacancy matching job titles, contain keywords and phrases from a job posting, have no employment history gaps, and match by most recent experience.

- To attract human recruiters, it has to be clear, concise and visually appealing plus highlight your skills, achievements, and experience for the last 10 years.

- Your should create and submit a separate cover letter for each vacancy.

Also, take into consideration the latest resume writing standards, industry trends, and local job market requirements.

Polish your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn profile is also becoming an incorporate part of applying-selecting-hiring. Even though it does not replace a traditional CV or resume, a spot-on LinkedIn profile is the shortest way to getting connected with people who can offer you a great job. That’s where recruiters and employers look first:

- Your headline – be creative and go beyond a job title and current employer.

- Compelling summary – the story of what took you to get where you are now, what you’ve achieved, and how you can contribute to employer's future success.

- Your most recent experience – do your best to showcase what makes you a great asset to the team.

- Skills – should match with your headline, summary, latest employments, and career goals.

- Endorsements and recommendations – take time to expand your network and get as many of those as possible.

- Education – if received the MBA degree, for example, put it by your name, don’t make people dig in your profile.

Include keywords all over the profile to be found by the right people, and don’t forget to indicate that you are open for job offers (not in a headline, please, it would make you look desperate).

Upskill yourself

There is hardly any industry nowadays not influenced, or even reshaped, by rapid growth of technologies; therefore, everyone is expected to be tech-savvy. Some specialists are required to be cross-skilled as well. Besides hard skills, soft skills are becoming a key criterion in hiring for leadership position. In any case, acquiring new skills while keeping your qualifications updated is crucial for career success. To stay in tune with the major industry changes:

- Take online courses – some are available for free and take about a month to complete.

- Say yes to vocational training and corporate professional development sessions.

- Accept extra responsibilities to expand the scope of your proficiency and try yourself in new roles.

- Volunteering often helps gain new skills, too.

Choose skills that best suit your career goals. Assess what you have and what you need to become a perfect candidate for a job/industry/career you are targeting.

Meet current job market demands

There are many ways to find out about most in-demand jobs in your industry, including media or social media, career fairs, your network of connections, friends, colleagues, etc. Start paying attention to what employers need and think how you as a professional can meet those needs.

One of my clients from the UK worked in construction for many years, having more hands-on experience and practical knowledge than some of his managers. When he felt like moving forward with his career, we went through the assessment diagram of what he was able to do (skills), what he wanted to do (passions), and what the market needed and paid for (current demand). It turned out that local contractors were screaming for heavy machinery drivers. Being a skilled driver, he enrolled in a programme to get appropriate tickets and by that became a highly demanded worker, filling in job market gaps and thus making a huge career leap.

Educate yourself continuously and stay up-to-date

Today's opportunities for learning are truly endless. Speaking of online education, if you manage your time wisely, getting a micro-Master's degree within a few months is a very realistic objective. Build a solid LinkedIn network of industry experts, and you’ll learn from their posts and videos more than from some books.

In addition, the newsfeed on social media and browsers can be easily adjusted to your current professional interests, turning the never-ending need for education into an exciting journey. Sign up to social media channels, join the groups and follow people able to give you information relevant to your dream job, and shortly you will start receiving updates without digging the web. At this rate, you will be aware of the newest vacancies, job requirements, and interview tips.

To sum up, keeping yourself updated in every aspect related to your dream job is a very effective and most winning strategy. Believe me, it will all add up, increasing your value as a professional and helping you hit right job.

Thanks for reading!

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