Skills that get you hired

It is a matter of necessity for job seekers to equip themselves with employable skills because of the high level of unemployment in the country, ADEMOLA ALAWIYE writes

There are steps you can take that, in a short time, will improve your employability and provide you with skills that will remain valuable throughout your professional life. Many people study hard and even work for free or cheaply in order to get a degree and garner experience that they believe will put them in a great position to secure their dream job, which will fund the lifestyles they want. When they have done this, they conclude that all that is left is for them to apply for the job, once there is an opening, and the rest will be history.

Experts say many of such people find out the hard way that even where there is less competition for jobs, ideally, it takes more than a degree or certificate and‘work experience’ to land a great job. According to experts, any of these options can help you develop skills, such as leadership and teamwork.

Volunteer

Experts say that volunteering with a non-profit organisation in your town can help you develop employability skills. Because non-profit organisations count on their volunteers to show up and help when they say they will, you will develop the work world ethic of showing up when you are supposed to. According to them, volunteering can also help you develop teamwork skills as well as the ability to work independently. You may be asked to head a small team to help a non-profit. You could also create your own way to volunteer in your community, such as holding a benefit dinner for a friend in need of help with medical bills. In this regard, you will learn project planning and coordination as well as leadership skills as you manage a group of other volunteers.

Intern

Internships expose you to a career or industry in which you may be interested. You also develop interpersonal skills as you work closely with both a supervisor and other co-workers on a regular basis. If you will be sick or need to take a day off from interning, you are responsible for calling in to your supervisor, just as if you were working a regular job. You will also likely learn new technology or software skills in addition to other job-related skills you can take with you to any position.

Extracurricular activities

Perform extracurricular activities related to the skills you want to develop. For example, if you need to develop your public speaking skills, join the debate club at school. If you need to develop your writing skills, take a creative writing course, write for the school newspaper, and submit an opinion piece to your local newspaper or serve as secretary of an organisation where you will be responsible for taking meeting notes.

Business

Start your own business as a way to develop the skill of taking initiative. You will also develop your research and organisational abilities as you learn about the market and how to structure your small business, such as tutoring or selling items online. Another option is to plan a trip to another country to increase your research and organisational skills as well.

By planning your route, where you will stay, transportation, learning key words in another language, getting your passport and visa (if required) and researching other items necessary for your trip, you will become adept at dealing with government agencies and finding relevant information from the right sources. You will also have to keep this information organised to facilitate a smooth trip.

Adaptability to new technology

We live in a tech-savvy world were your ability to use modern gadgets or equipment has a huge impact on your productivity and even visibility. Companies are now recruiting people through the social media, and by not being able to utilise social network or even being on these platform, you are diminishing your chances of being seen.

Flexibility

To stay competitive and to survive, many organisations regularly restructure or make changes. When this happens, employees who are resistant to change or those incapable of adapting are in danger of being fired. This is because they will be less productive and thereby become obstacles to the achievement of the company’s goals.

Factors such as the ability to carry out research to know and understand the organisation you intend to work for as well as the ability to present your achievements through the years are important if you want to make yourself employable.

Presentation

Presentation centres on the ability to demonstrate ‘employability’ assets and present them to the market in an accessible way.

This, it explains, covers such things as how the CV is presented, academic and vocational qualifications, references and testimonies, interview technique and work experience or track record.

Context of personal circumstances and the labour market

This refers to the individual’s personal and external circumstances and the inter-relationship between the two.

“Personal circumstances caring responsibilities, disabilities, and household status can all affect the ability to seek different opportunities and will vary during an individual’s life cycle; while external factors such as macro-economic demand and the pattern and level of job openings in their labour market, be it local or national; labour market regulation and benefit rules; and employer recruitment and selection behaviour.”

The ability to realise or actualise ‘employability’ assets is said to depend on this.

Understanding this, will go a long way in making you employable and thereby land you that dream job, which will put you in a good position to push for financial freedom and independence.

Copyright PUNCH.