How to Make Yourself More Employable in 2016

As the scope and function of many jobs continues to increase year-on-year, it is no surprise that the range of skills expected of prospective employees shifts also.

This time last year, we made some suggestions about the kind of activities you could undertake in order to align your skills with the changing landscape of employment in 2015.

With this year now drawing to a close, we now take a look at some of the things you can do to make yourself more employable in 2016.

(Not all of these might be necessarily relevant to your particular field, but even so it is wise to keep an eye on the broader shifts in employment taking place.)

5 Ways to make yourself more employable in 2016

Leadership

Regardless of your place in the work hierarchy, leadership is an important quality for all employees to have.  That is because leadership doesn’t just refer to how you lead other members of the team, but how you lead yourself, manage your workload, and make sure that you are working well within the parameters of your job.  In a modern and ever-more demanding workplace self management is increasingly seen as an essential trait for a good employee, employers need staff that are able to get on with their work independently, and strong leadership skills are a good indication of this ability

Creativity

As was the case with leadership, creativity is an attribute which is often viewed by employers as indicative of a broad range or workplace skills and assets.  Creativity does not just mean design skills or marketing it abilities anymore; it means problem-solving skills, diplomacy, and leadership abilities.  The world of work has moved beyond the time when ‘soft’ skills were a luxury, now they have become a necessity, as other traditional differentiating factors become less relevant.

Coding

This was included in last year’s rundown of skills to be developed, but such is the nature of its growing importance that we must mention it again.  Coding skills are becoming ever more sought after, and as job roles become more and more diverse, there is a growing demand for employees in all manner of positions to possess certain abilities. The modern economy is one that is anchored in and inextricable from the digital sphere, and for as long as long as this continues to be the case, employers will seek out staff with basic knowledge of coding and the ability to learn more!  Digital skills in general are becoming more and more essential with each passing year.

Know your employee capital

One of the best things that you can do to help improve your employability is to make an appraisal of your own capital; your skills, attributes and qualities which make you a worthy candidate for employment.  In short, if you don’t know why an employer should hire you, then how do you expect them to?

When searching and applying for jobs, try to think of yourself as a salesperson who is selling a product to a prospective buyer.  You must know which skills, experiences, and qualifications increase your employability in the eyes of an employer.  This will allow you to complete application forms and CVs with well placed confidence, and will ensure that you enter into interview situations fully aware of the value you could bring to an organisation.

Keep Busy

When unemployed it can become very easy to slip into bad habits.  Like laying around all day watching cartoons in your PJs.  Whilst days like this are one of the few joys of being unemployed, you should nonetheless make sure that they don’t become ‘the norm’.   Not only will falling into a rut make it much more difficult to become motivated, but it can also reflect badly on you when it comes to applying for jobs.

Employers understand that there will be times in life when you find yourself unemployed, but they will expect you to stay productive and active during these times.  When an employer asks you ‘what have you been doing with your time since your previous job’ they will expect you to have something more inspiring to say that ‘I watched SpongeBob’.

There are loads of productive things you can do when unemployed!  Volunteer, take up a worthwhile hobby, play sports, or learn a musical instrument, anything which keeps you busy and your mind and body active!