Every job you apply for will have other candidates applying for the same job. You’ll need to be the best fit for the role, make a good impression and be more employable than everyone else competing for the position. Here are five ways to make yourself more employable.
How to Stand Out and Get A Job
1. Keep Your CV Up to Date
Your CV is the usually the first impression you’re going to make, so make sure it’s formatted correctly, easy to read and shows you off as the most qualified person for the job. The best CV will show how long you’ve been at your current place of work, your day-to-day responsibilities and times you went above and beyond and made significant changes or improvements.
It’s not enough to just list what you’ve done; you must show why it was important, why it made a difference and why it makes you better than anyone else. Use powerful phrases to make your CV stand out and signpost elements that make you qualified for the job to make yourself more employable.
2. Get to the Interview Early
It might be a cliche, but getting to the job interview early immediately puts you in a good light. If you’re the first to arrive it might make all the difference between getting the job and not. Arriving early to a job interview shows you’re punctual, reliable and taking the job opportunity seriously. In general, it’s good practice to give yourself ample time to get to an interview. Traffic, train delays or just getting lost can strike at the worst time, so give yourself the best possible chance of getting there without any stress. Arriving to an interview with plenty of time is just one way to stand out and get the job you want.
3. Stand Out
There will likely be several highly qualified candidates at the job interview, so it’s important to differentiate yourself from them. If you’re remembered later, you’ll be more likely to get the job. An interesting fact about yourself, a story about how you improved things at work or just an unusual hobby can be enough to separate you from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
This also lets you demonstrate that you’d be a good fit for the company culture, and that you’d integrate well with the team.
4. Be Active on LinkedIn
Being on LinkedIn is vital for searching for a job today and will help your personality and expertise come across before you even meet your potential employer. Often the first thing an employer will do after reading your CV is look you up on LinkedIn to try to get a better sense of who you are. If they find an empty profile, or worse, no profile at all, they might not forward with you. If they find someone who is actively sharing content, engaging with the wider industry community and creating valuable connections, they’ll be far more excited about the prospect of you joining them.
5. Use A Recruitment Company
Lastly, using a recruitment company is one of the best ways to make yourself more employable as it can help get you in front of employers much faster than applying on your own. Recruitment specialists in your industry will get access to the best jobs before they go out to the wider world, so you’ll be first in line for positions you might never hear of otherwise.
The best recruitment consultants will know your strengths and understand what you’re looking for in career opportunities. Good recruitment agencies will also be providing you an endorsement just by submitting you to the employer: recruitment companies’ reputations are made on the candidates they show to their clients. If you’re looking for a career upgrade, a recruitment company is the best place to start.
Want to learn more ways to make yourself more employable? Discover the things that can help you get a job that aren’t your CV, or which questions to ask in a job interview.
