Thursday, November 15, 2012

10 Great Ways to be Employable

10 Great Ways to be Employable


Employability refers to a person's capability for gaining and maintaining employment.

Hillage and Pollard, 1998

Having a good degree does not mean that you are employable, you need a combination of qualifications, experience, personal characteristics to avoid being unemployable. The other point to note is that you may be employed, but are you really employable? Find out what you need to be truly employable:  

1.      Creative: You are hired to get things done effectively and efficiently. You need logical, analytical, and problem-solving skills to sustain your employability.

2.      Innovative: You cannot stay in your comfort zone. You have to innovate (Lat. innovare: "to change") and do things differently. It means taking risks and making mistakes. To change is to create new ideas and stand above the crowd.

3.      Collaborative: Be able to work hand in glove with others and achieve company goals. Know how to leverage the strengths of others to boost your own productivity.

4.      People skills: Be cheerful. Acknowledge and pay attention to others. Be interested in and look for the good in others. Know when and how to approach others to get things done. Develop the habit of seeing things from the point of view of others.

5.      Technical skills: This is your area of specialized knowledge and expertise. The most important thing is that you must be able to perform by applying what you have learnt.   

6.      Enterprising: What is your business sense? According to Wikipedia, it is the keenness and quickness in understanding and dealing with a business situation. Are you able to see the big picture and make wise decisions?

7.      Communication skills: The ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing is crucial for your employability. Learn to listen attentively, study their body language and understand unspoken words.

8.      Language skills: The way to impress another person is to speak his or her language. The more languages you know, the easier it is for you to connect with others. In a cosmopolitan country like Malaysia, it is a necessity to know English, Malay, and Chinese to sustain your employability.       

9.      Personal attributes: Be honest, punctual, and able to meet deadlines. This is the way to gain trust and respect. Be flexible and adaptable.  Productive habits like getting up early, planning ahead, and organizing from day to day are effective self-management. Adopt a can-do attitude and never whine in the face of difficulties.

10.  IT skills: To be employable long term is to learn continuously.It is essential to embrace and adopt technological advancements and be productive. Move forward with the changing environment and stay ahead.    

To be employed is not enough, be employable. 

Related post:
Are You Unemployed or Unemployable?


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