How do I make myself more ‘employable’?

I am worried about losing my job and am trying to tough it out. It would help me to know the key things employers want – for me to keep my job or, if I am out in the job market, it would be even more important to know. 

A lot is said about employability attributes and skills – so let’s focus on the top 10 that that make anyone more employable and more effective in their work.

Employability attributes

Personal presentation

This is all about how a person looks – as so many judgements are made instantly. It’s personal hygiene, clean hair and nails, ironed clothes. You might think this is obvious for first impressions in an interview, but it can be just as important for maintaining a positive impression of you in an existing job. Don’t make it easy for someone to end your job because times are tough AND you are a slob at work.

Positive work ethic

Honesty, integrity, reliability and commitment – all very important. The tricky thing is how to show this. How does an employer determine what is representative of these values. Be creative and come up with your own ideas of ways to impress with a positive work ethic.

Confidence and self-esteem

When you start to feel down and show a lack of confidence, it’s a big negative. If you have underlying issues – talk with someone outside of your work area and get help. At work or in a job interview make sure you maintain good eye contact. Don’t always wait to be spoken to, and have a confident tone. Focus on what you are good at, don’t put yourself down. If you are doing an interview, have examples from the past that have required self-esteem and confidence.

Enthusiasm and motivation

Every employer loves to see a willingness to help, wanting to do things, saying “this will be easy”. But how does an employer gauge this attribute in an interview? Body language and tone need to be positive. Speak enthusiastically and give examples of things you can get done, ideas and strategies you are planning, results you have achieved (perhaps against the odds) and provide examples of persistence and enthusiasm from your past.

Adapts and manages pressure

Show an ability to adapt to any situation – and constant changes. Be flexible and cope with changes on the run, find examples from your past of your ability to manage pressure and remind yourself you can do this. Have examples for an interview – this will be one of the most common questions (provide examples of how you manage under pressure!)

Employability skills

Communication and teamwork skills

Collaborate with others and speak up. Demonstrate good quality written skills and clear verbal communications. Listen carefully to what is asked of you and what is said in meetings and interviews and respond with intelligent, succinct comments. Be impressive when you speak.

Problem-solving and initiative

Identify problems and solve them quickly. Employers love it when someone has a suggestion for fixing an issue, rather than just complaining. Suggest options for discussion – jump in ahead of people still caught up complaining. In an interview provide examples of times when you initiated and solved problems.

Planning and organising

Self management is the key. Show you are organised, and that you enjoy prioritising and managing time. Plan your day logically and show you are under control. Use a diary or task manager on the computer. Change messy habits and learn good time management practices. And for a job interview, go in with examples of times you had to manage competing priorities and how you did that successfully.

Technology savvy

Don’t wait for anyone to find out your PC and IT skills are minimal. Learn to create great spreadsheets and PowerPoint documents and start enjoying database work or anything else that will help in your job. These are skills you can learn online or in a class, so if your company doesn’t offer the training and you are behind in these skills, be enterprising and go and improve yourself.

Learning

Be willing to put in time to learn and improve skills that need development. Strengthen skills that are already good so you become outstanding in them. Focus on goals and manage your own learning. You can learn in a variety of ways – IT self help, peer, coach, courses. In an interview show how eager you are to learn, give examples of being a fast learner.

Click here to see the video 10 employability attributes and skills

Eve Ash is a psychologist and co-author of Rewrite Your Life! and co-creator of the DVD 10 Employability Skills & Attributes (from the TAKE AWAY TRAINING SERIES).Eve is founder of SEVEN DIMENSIONS www.7dimensions.com.au

To see all Eve’s expert advice, click here.

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