ALT-1 Tips for Improving your Employability
Many of us are looking for the secret to getting hired in a slow job market. There are some basic ways you can enhance the package of skills and abilities you present to a prospective employer. Adding a few extra skills to your resume may help improve your employability.
Job ads often state the need for a candidate with excellent oral and written communication skills. Employers want articulate people who know how to get their ideas across with clarity and credibility. You may be asked to compose something in writing that will be distributed to multiple employees and you don't want it to look haphazard or ignorant. If you have the opportunity to take a business writing course and a public speaking course, it would go a long way to make you more attractive in a competitive job market.
Adding on new knowledge of current software will always make you more employable. Employers are now asking for types of software programs that are specific to their industry. There are a number oftutorial websitesthat may have programs that will help you be more competitive. It would pay to update your current knowledge and add on to what you already know.
Adding a skill such as web design or desktop publishing is a great way to be able to offer something new to an employer. Bringing something innovative with you to the interview may set off a chain reaction of ideas that a prospective employer never thought they'd be able to implement. Perhaps they've wanted to begin publishing a newsletter and you are the person who walks in with the ability to bring their idea to life. This is a wonderful way to make yourself more employable.
Meeting with a career counselor to fine tune your resume is an excellent step to take. Learning how to tweak your resume appropriately to suit each job you apply for is a great way to pull the employer's eyes to exactly what you want them to see. With so many people out of work and so many resumes to go through it will serve you well to make yours very specific every time you send it out.
You may have been laid off from a job that gave you an array of excellent skills to take into your next position. However, with so many folks out of work it would be best to not assume your resume is in any better shape than the others. Wherever and however you can enhance skills and abilities to make yourself more employable is the best course of action and could very well lead to a new, more interesting career.
