Why Am I Not Marketable to Employers?
There may still be a labor shortage despite more companies laying people off lately. Nevertheless, the job market is still competitive and always will be, especially for the best positions. That’s why job seekers today need to be as marketable to potential employers as possible.
What does being marketable mean? To sum it up, it means having the skills and experience that make you stand out as a job candidate. It also means thinking about the future, such as what prospective employers are looking for and your future career path. Being marketable requires expanding your skills and knowledge to stay competitive in the job market.
Another part of being marketable is knowing how to sell yourself and position yourself as a competitive job candidate. Part of this involves building a personal brand, networking, and having a solid presence online, such as on career websites like LinkedIn. So much networking is done online today that if you have an active presence on LinkedIn, it can make you more marketable.
Empire Resume will explain the flip side to all this, why you may not be marketable to employers, and what you can do to fix it.
Improve Your Skills
A big part of making yourself marketable to employers is continuously improving your skill set. This can be done by learning on the job, but not all of it. If you’re not going the extra mile to improve your skills, you’ll be disadvantaged compared to other candidates in the job market.
There are many ways to keep learning. First, identify the skills companies in your industry and career path are looking for. Once you’ve identified them, aggressively go after ways to level up, such as via classes, online courses, workshops, and conferences. You can also join professional trade organizations, garner certifications, or even return to school.
However, it’s not just technical skills you should pay attention to. Job seekers should also consider soft skills like emotional intelligence, leadership, and communication. These soft skills are all in high demand among employers, and learning them is a solid investment in your future career.
Stay Informed About Your Industry
Improving skills is an obvious way to be marketable to employers. Another similar method is staying current about what’s happening in your industry. Learning new skills is great, but you also should have a big-picture understanding of what’s going on in your industry and what the future may look like.
Knowing more about your industry helps in several ways. First, it allows you to make intelligent and informed decisions about your career, such as the types of employers most likely to succeed. Also, the more you know about your industry, the more you can impress companies during the interview process.
Staying up to date on your industry can take many forms. Some of the best ways to do it include networking with fellow industry professionals and reading as much as possible, including from trade publications and the general business media. Know the key issues driving changes in your industry, and you’ll be much more marketable to employers.
Become Great at Networking
It’s all about who you know, right? The ability to network effectively may be essential to advancing your career. More jobs are secured through employee referrals than any other way, so being good at networking is possibly the best way to get closer to your dream job.
Being an effective networker isn’t as hard as it may look, and if you become good at it, it will make you much more marketable. It’s not just about how many connections you have on LinkedIn, either. Being a dependable employee who works well with others will leave a trail of good relationships and a vast network throughout your career that you can tap into at any time.
Show Off Your Best Work
One great way to make yourself more marketable to employers is to show off your best work online. Keep samples of your best work and create an online portfolio. The best way to do this is on LinkedIn, where you can post about your successes and feature some of your best work. For example, post links to your best designs as part of your profile if you’re a graphic artist.
Another way to be more marketable is to build a personal brand. Use LinkedIn and other social media to craft a narrative of who you are, what you care about, your goals, and where you see yourself next.
Practice Makes Perfect
Landing a job interview is usually the easy part. The hard part is giving a good interview and impressing the hiring managers. One way to make yourself more marketable is to constantly practice your interview skills. This can be done in numerous ways, including practicing with friends or a career mentor.
The more ready you are for interviews, the more you will impress potential employers when the time comes. Read as much as possible about the interview process and what it takes to give a good interview. And always prepare good, shrewd questions to ask at the end of each interview.
Make Yourself a Top Job Candidate
The job market lately has been more favorable to job seekers than ever before; however, a recession may be looming. The average white-collar job receives about 250 applications, and some estimate it takes between 21 to 80 job applications for the average job seeker to get one job offer on average.
With so many people competing for the same positions, getting lost in the shuffle in the eyes of recruiters and hiring managers is easy. By improving your skills, becoming an effective networker, and building a personal brand, you can make yourself more marketable to employers. The more marketable you are, the easier it will be to land an interview and the job you really want.
Stay tuned to Empire Resume’s blog for more helpful insights about careers and employment, including articles like One Resume is All You Need, How to Write a Killer Cover Letter, and How to Deal with a Furlough.
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Maria Gold is a Content Manager/Writer for Empire Resume. She is dedicated to helping educate and motivate people with the latest career articles and job search advice. Her interests range from writing to programming and design. She is also passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology.
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