Did you know that November is National Career Development Month? That’s right! According to the National Day Calendar, “National Career Development Month in November signals a time for students and employees to focus on their (current or) future career choices”. With this in mind, let’s chat about making yourself more employable.
Learn Something New
In your spare time around your established career, it can be a good idea to learn a new skill. This is one of the best ways to make yourself more employable. You might not know where to start, but you could look at the job roles that you are interested in and see the kinds of skills that are listed on their job description.
You could also think about doing a formal qualification or skill such as going back to school. If you do decide to get a degree or even a postgraduate qualification, then make sure that you help yourself.
For example, look out for some Stanford GSB essays that worked when it comes to your submissions essay and application. Then you can be working towards the qualification that will get you to where you want to be.
Another way to learn something new is to adopt the continuous learning mindset, where you focus time each week on learning something new or improving upon something. For example, as a life-long learner, I’ve returned back to Lifebook. You can read more about my Lifebook journey here on the blog.
Look for Volunteer Opportunities
Aside from upskilling yourself, consider volunteer work. Some of the benefits of volunteering your time are really important and helpful. This could be volunteering in an industry that you want to be in, to learn more, and have something to demonstrate on your resume.
Volunteering can also help you to learn a specific skill, boost your confidence, and give you some valuable experience that some employers will only consider you with. You’ll help yourself and your job applications but will also help your local community and society as a whole.
Work on Your Resume
Many of us will only take the time to adjust our resume when we are looking for a specific job. By keeping your resume up-to-date on a regular basis, you will be able to really celebrate what you have been doing and the key skills that you have in a role and then you can learn to emphasize them for a potential employer.
Remember, when you do it regularly it will mean that you don’t miss anything out and can make yourself shine in your best light for a potential employer.
Final Thoughts
While these are only a handful of ways to make yourself more employable during National Career Development Month, there are other things you could do, as well.
For example, you can update your LinkedIn profile, take a free career assessment, research potential career options, and create a career vision board – just to name a few.
Remember, small steps make a big difference, especially if you plan to make yourself more employable.
