We are all professionals nowadays. More than ever, it is important to know how you are doing in the job market. This article will give tips on how to successfully develop yourself as a professional and make your resume stand out from the rest.
1) Take on a new job position
If you are at the moment working as a graphic designer but want to develop yourself as a social media professional, consider making this transition. The first step is to apply for jobs in your desired field. You can use LinkedIn or Indeed to look for potential positions. If you want to make sure that your target company is one you want to work for, do some research about it. Find out if they have an active LinkedIn page and connect with people from the company. This way, when applying for jobs at that company, send messages to those connections letting them know that you are interested in working with the organization. Using the ‘message’ feature instead of sending resumes will allow future employers to see what kind of person you are.
2) Be mindful of your career goals
A lot of people don’t know where they want to be in five years and it shows on their resume. When applying for jobs, make sure that the work experience you list aligns with the job position you want currently hold or eventually want to hold. If your current work history isn’t relevant to your desired career path, consider revising it by networking and getting new references and experiences in the field you wish to venture into. For example: if you’re a web designer but would like to move into a marketing role, get an internship at a marketing firm so when companies see your skills under both categories, they will recognize how valuable you can be to their team. You can also go back to school or take online courses if you feel like you need more education before transitioning into your desired field.
3) Network
The best way to get a job is through networking and referrals. Networking is key to developing yourself as a professional because it allows you to establish connections with people in your industry and develop relationships. Don’t be afraid to talk about your job search with the people around you. For example: if you’re at a company event where there are other professionals in your field, introduce yourself and start forming relationships that may lead directly or indirectly to future opportunities. You can use the LinkedIn message feature or Facebook messenger for this too! There are many ways networking can help advance your career so don’t be afraid to utilize them all.
4) Keep learning
Knowledge is always power. The more knowledge you have about your field, the more valuable you are to companies. You can take online courses or attend conferences to learn new things and advance your career. Tools like Lynda.com (which has tutorials on almost any software) and Coursera make it easier than ever to learn something new for free!
5) Be proactive about your job search
You’ve applied for a few jobs but you haven’t heard anything back from them? Don’t wait around for a response, follow up. A simple follow-up email shows that you care about this specific position and want to hear back from the hiring manager as soon as possible. It also demonstrates that you know what’s going on in your field and are proactive. When sending a follow-up email, make sure it’s short and to the point.
6) Revise your resume
If you’ve been looking for work but haven’t heard anything back, make sure that your resume is error-free. Even if you have received an interview, there may be inaccuracies that could prevent you from getting hired. For example, don’t list skills or software programs on your resume that you’re not already proficient with! This is very important because no matter how qualified you are for a certain position, companies can overlook you if they see anything fishy on your resume.
7) Be confident
You have what it takes to get hired so go out there and believe in yourself. If you’re confident, hiring managers will see that and will be more likely to hire you because they know you want the job. Don’t list all of your accomplishments on your resume but instead choose only the relevant ones for each position or field. You can also use these accomplishments as conversation topics so employers see how passionate you are about certain achievements.
8) Know what’s happening in your industry
This goes hand-in-hand with networking. If you network with people who know what’s going on in your field, they will probably share some interesting news stories with you that may give more insight into the company culture during the interview process. Look up local business news by searching for ‘local business news on Google News and see which companies are being talked about. You can also use social media to follow certain industries and see what’s going on in the business world. This way, you’ll stay up-to-date with changes in your field and be a more viable candidate when a company is looking for a specific skill set.
9) Get social
Follow people on Twitter who are leaders in your field. They’ll probably retweet great articles written by journalists who write for top publications so you’ll always have something interesting to read! You can also use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. to keep up with trends in your industry, watch documentaries about it and become well versed enough to talk about it at length if you’re ever asked about your interests in an interview.
10) Ask for feedback
If you’re not happy with how things went at your interview, ask why. If the hiring manager couldn’t offer you the job because other applicants had more experience, ask what kind of experience he or she was looking for so you can do better next time. For example, many companies are now looking at soft skills to see if a candidate will be able to mesh well with his or her team.
11) Ask for suggestions
If you’re applying for jobs online, check out the ‘How To Apply’ sections of company websites and see which software they prefer their employee’s use (that’s where knowing your stuff comes in!). If it looks like an application requires mostly Google Docs but you save all of your work on Microsoft Word, make sure to spend some time revising your resume and making it Google Docs compatible.
12) Read the news
Follow different companies that are related to your field of work or that you find interesting. If your industry is technology, track what’s going on in the tech world by reading blogs and following business media. It doesn’t matter too much which company you choose but it does help if you have some inside knowledge of a particular company’s culture so when they do come up in an interview process, you can impress them with stories about how they’re doing.
Conclusion:
To be a successful candidate in the hiring process, you should always keep yourself up-to-date with new trends and company culture. If it’s been a while since you looked for a job, reevaluate your resume to see what can be improved about it. Also, consider these tips so you’ll have a good chance of being noticed by company directors! If you want to stay relevant in your field, you need to know what’s happening. From how people are working to what skills are hot in the job market, you can stay ahead of the curve by following sources that regular people don’t read.
Author Bio:
Sarah has been writing for a decade and now for the Quran teacher near me Website. She obtained her Master’s degree at the University of London. Her main objective is to write insightful content for those people who read and like it.
