Want to take charge of your career and land the job of your dreams? It’s even easier than you might think! This isn’t to say that it will be a total walk in the park, but I want to show you that you can take charge of your career to land that dream job. It will take some work, but if you follow these steps and put in the leg work, you can absolutely make it happen.
I often talk about how there are a lot of under-utilized resources at our fingertips. In a time where we can google almost anything, it seems to be taken for granted and underused as a career boost. The idea is to mold yourself into the perfect candidate. Once you’ve done the research to know what potential employers are looking for, take action to make sure you have those required skills. With so many resources at your fingertips through online classes and tutorials, becoming the perfect candidate is easy!
Research Industry Trends and Requirements
According to a 2015 study done by the National Federation of Independent Business, 48% of small businesses report there are few or no qualified applicants for the positions they are trying to fill. While it’s possible that this is the case, it’s also possible that potential candidates are not marketing themselves correctly or putting the correct information on their resume.
Do some research on what businesses are actually looking for in a candidate and pay attention to trends of required skills or experience in your industry.
- Is there any up and coming software in your industry?
- When you browse potential job opportunities, are there any specific skills, software, or knowledge that is required?
- How about certifications? Is there any specialized training that could benefit you when it comes to your job search?
The more research you can do on knowledge, trends, skills, and training, the better. You want to get a better understanding of what potential employers and recruiters are looking for in candidates within your field so you can mold yourself into the perfect candidate.
A great way to do this research is to browse through potential job opportunities. Think about what you want your next career move to be and do a search on LinkedIn, Indeed.com, themuse.com, or any other job site you find effective. Look through opportunities that interest you and make note of the requirements.
Learn the Required Skill(s)
Now that you’ve found the necessary skills and knowledge you need to get ahead, take a class so you can put that information on your resume! With options like Khan Academy, Lynda.com, Skillshare, and even YouTube, you can learn practically anything online with minimal to no cost!
I had a client the other day tell me that taking a class was not an option because of time and money. If you feel this way, you’re probably focusing on a more traditional class structure at a college or university. There are endless options to further your education without going broke or giving up your social life. You don’t need to go to an accredited university, you just need to further develop your knowledge on a subject. As long as you can prove that you have a skill or are knowledgeable on something, it doesn’t matter where you learned it.
As long as you can prove that you have a skill or are knowledgeable on something, it doesn’t matter where you learned it. – Click to tweet this
Do you notice that a lot of jobs require QuickBooks or another specific software? Take an online course so you learn about the program and can put it in the skills matrix of your resume. You don’t need to become an expert on it, (though if you can that’s even better!) but if you can take a course to familiarize yourself with the subject or program, you’ll be able to include that information on your resume.
Why Is This Important?
Ultimately, if someone can’t look at your resume and see how you align with the position you’re applying for, you’re not going to be able to land the job. I was just talking to a client about this the other day, and how she has the passion and enthusiasm, but doesn’t have the requirements on paper. The way I always advise people in this situation is to use resources out there like online courses etc. to create tangible information to include on your resume.
Ultimately, if someone can’t look at your resume and see how you align with the position you’re applying for, you’re not going to be able to land the job. – Click to tweet this
Think about it this way: you may be interested in design, but if you have zero related experience or education, you’re going to struggle with getting a design job, whereas if you take some courses and volunteer in relating fields, you’re creating information to put on your resume to help people recognize that you would be a good candidate for the job.
Similarly, with such a high volume of applicants per position, employers often use keyword searches to weed out unqualified applicants. A lot of people use the “spray and pray” tactic when applying for jobs, meaning that they apply for a lot of jobs that they might not even qualify for, just for the sake of applying.
This creates an influx of underqualified candidates, and employers/recruiters need a simple way to figure out who is and who is not qualified. Thus, keyword searches come up. For instance, if an employer is looking to hire an inside sales rep with experience generating leads, working a pipeline, and prospecting new markets, they will search those key words and phrases within each resume that comes in. If someone has those phrases in their document, they will be put into the qualified pile, and if not, the resume will be tossed aside. It sounds harsh, but with so many candidates, there has to be a way to sort everything.
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Do you want to take charge of your career and land the job of your dreams? If you put in the time and effort, it’s easy! Do some research on industry trends, and take an online course so your knowledge and skill set is up to date. This enables you to put relevant skills and information on your resume, which will help when potential employers or recruiters are doing a keyword search to weed out unqualified applicants. If you really want a job, you need to make sure you have the required skills to put on your resume. Ensure that you align with potential job requirements and transform your resume so that you are seen as the perfect candidate!