5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Career Skill Set
In 2011, I began a new job search in earnest, submitting close to 100 job applications over a three-year period. The only two interviews I got were for unpaid internships. I was positively baffled and discouraged by the experience. Why was this happening to me?
To find the answer, I examined my job search, scoured what seems like every job-related chat forum on the planet, read books and blog posts, and spoke to job seekers about their experiences.
While the specific reasons why people don’t land certain jobs vary, I did uncover a common theme: Job seekers were putting more effort into the quantity of their applications (e.g., “I have applied to 100 jobs in five months”) than the quality of their applications.
Here are five ways to make yourself more competitive in the job market by focusing on quality:
1 - Identify peers in an industry and emulate
With a LinkedIn account, you have access to a wide range of folks who are already working in your industry of choice. While looking at all these established professionals could certainly make you feel even less qualified, you can also flip the script by emulating those who have already succeeded in their career searches.
Action: Browse the profiles of at least 10 people who are already working in your industry or job of choice and note the hard skills that they possess. It is useful to start broad, perhaps writing down as many as five teachable, measurable skills per profile that you visit. After you’ve done that, begin to draw lines between profiles, looking at the skills and experiences that you find on more than one profile.
Example: At one point in my career, I was interested in working in the financial services industry. I networked with folks and searched the profiles of dozens of LinkedIn members. I also began reading short biographies of several industry leaders to get a sense of their experiences. I noticed that folks working in my subsector of choice all had credit analysis and financial modeling experience, so I learned as much as I could about these fields and added them to my profile.
The Spin: This exercise prepares you for the job search in several ways: It helps you talk like an industry veteran, even though you may not be one yet; it helps you identify industry needs that you can add to your skill set (see No. 2 below); and it shows the potential employer that you are both up to date and ready to hit the ground running when you begin the job.
Don’t feel intimidated if you find that others have 10+ years of experience with several degrees from Harvard. Often, these degrees are a function of social standing, so compete with people head to head by being prepared. Furthermore, this step also helps you discover new companies that may interest you.
2 - Architect the education you want
Bestselling author Alvin Toffler said that “knowledge is the most democratic source of power”. More than any other moment in our history we have access to countless, free resources that allow us to add skills to our profiles that make us more desirable candidates.
Action: Look through job descriptions of five positions you applied to but did not get an interview for, or of five positions that you would like to apply to. Identify 2-3 skills in these descriptions that you do not currently have but that would like to add to your skillset.
Example: In looking through job descriptions, you notice that experience with Salesforce software is a valuable tool but you have never used the software. By accessing Udemy.com, you search for courses on Salesforce and find that you can become a certified beginner for an investment as little as $19 and 8 hours of your time.
The Spin: Employers look favorably upon job seekers who have taken a proactive approach to acquiring skills. Matt Barrie, CEO and founder of Freelancer.com, told the story of a candidate for an engineering position with his company that had several formal education degrees along with Coursera courses on his transcript. In the interview, the team was more interested to speak about the extra coursework that he did on his own than anything else. This demonstrates commitment to the topic/industry and shows that you have put the time in to discover that this is what you want to work in.
3 - Obtain professional certifications
Similar to architecting the education that you want, certifications are vocational qualifications that also demonstrate your commitment to an industry or topic and can distinguish you from competitors. By that same token, professional certifications can also help candidates acquire certifications that are considered to be industry standard or cross cutting skills that are useful in other industries. Whereas those in accounting or finance may pursue CPA or CFA certifications, Project Management and leadership courses can offer skills that can help job seekers to increase the scope of their search across industries and job types.
Action: If you are not aware of specific certifications needed in your industry, you will benefit by following the steps above to identify skills to work on and then thinking about certifications that fall into the below broad buckets:
Business Management
Leadership
Marketing & Communications
Finance & Accounting
Law & Policy
Technology
Education
Health
Creative Communications
The Spin: Options vary for professional certifications, from Continuing Education programs at universities and community colleges to professional industry associations.
4 - Use Google Alerts
Whether you’re searching or interviewing, give yourself an edge by staying current on industry trends and topics. Though it’s hard to stay current on everything, Google allows you to customize news alerts that are delivered to your inbox as often as you like.
Action:
Go to www.google.com/alerts
Type in your search term to create the alert
The research that you have done already through the steps above should help you to know what terms to enter, such as target company names or industry terms.
The Spin: In today’s world it is easy to suffer from information overload, with the vastness of the internet serving as evidence of this. Alerts will help direct you to relevant content that can help you stay current. Perhaps you notice a new trend and decide to get ahead of the curve by learning as much as you can about it. This also gives you the edge in networking conversations and interviews, allowing you to speak knowledgeably.
5 - Research and learning is a two-way street
This post is primarily about how to educate yourself, but just as you are doing your research, employers will do theirs too. Helping potential employers find you while also asserting your own newly acquired skills can give you a leg up on the competition.
Action: In the spirit of emulating others, make sure that your LinkedIn page (and resume of course) are updated with the knowledge that you have acquired. Make sure to list certifications and courses clearly on your profile so that recruiters can find you.
The Spin: If recruiters are searching to fill a spot or if you’ve already landed the interview, expect that you will be Googled. By being prepared, you position yourself to either be found or to impress them when they do find you.
