Improving Your Employability: 6 Tips to Note

Employment is a tough one in this world. There is more competition in the labour community. Those who graduate with good grades are not necessarily difficult to come by, but employers require more than just good grades. This is where improving your employability comes into play.

But before sharing tips about this, please bear two things in mind:

1. There are opportunities! As we say in my local parlance “Opportunities dey wella!” meaning “there are many opportunities”. They exist, the process may take longer for some people, but there are good opportunities.

2. If you have an amazing grade from the university, but have not got a job yet, calm down. Keep applying for jobs. Do not be discouraged.

Now, here are five tips for improving your employability

1. Properly Put Together Your curriculum vitae (CV)

We all need to realize the importance of a good CV. It speaks in your absence, so it should be up to date and properly drafted out at all times.

You can google how to draft a good CV. Equally, learn to update your CV. When you take on courses, volunteer, attend a conference, note them down and include them in your CV.

If you are a new graduate, or a graduate without work experience aside from NYSC, think of activities you participated while in school and include them. It could be a club you were a part of or offices you functioned in while in school. If you participated in internships, debates, quizzes, volunteer groups, you can include them as well.

Also, you may need to redress your cover letter to suit a new application, and to suit the prospective employer. There are people who help in this regard, and a few of them do so at a relatively fair price.

Employment is a tough one in this world. There is more competition in the labour community. This is where improving your employability comes into play. Click To Tweet

2. Subscribe to Job Alerts

Another way of improving your employability is subscribing to job alerts. There is Hot Nigerian Jobs, Just Jobs, and so on. You can also research for platforms offering jobs in your particular field and subscribe. Indeed is another helpful one.

NB: If you are a Lawyer, you can register your CV with Legally Engaged. Note that it attracts a fee.

3. Do Your Research

Generally, reading is a ginormous investment to our minds. It increases our ability to think, and to do so with intelligence and speed. So arm yourself with good knowledge and experience, whenever possible. It’s helpful for improving your employability.

Employers know when an intelligent candidate is before them because it shows in how he/she responds to questions asked. So read, research and gain some valuable knowledge.

4. Put yourself out there.

A few of you reading this probably think the above subheading refers to networking. Well, it does but it’s much more than just networking.

For example, you can seek digital visibility by creating a LinkedIn account carrying your job preferences. Also make the account open and visible to employers.

Similarly, you can attend conferences (physical or virtual) that could bring you in contact with people you would love to work with/for. When you attend these conferences, make sure to actively participate by asking ask intelligent questions or making solid contributions,

Generally, reading is a ginormous investment to our minds. It increases our ability to think, and to do so with intelligence and speed. Click To Tweet

5. Do Not Sit and Wait

Waiting can be destructive for your career plans. It leads to time wastage and can even hinder your getting a gainful employment. Sometimes, employers question lacunas in career paths as it does not give a positive impression. So you can take up a course and get certified pending employment. Also, There are a few free online courses.

Jobberman Nigeria has a free course on soft skills, which is an important skill in the labour community. You can also write articles on issues in your field, publish them on LinkedIn and include the link on your Instagram bio (if you have an Instagram account).

6. Consider Volunteering

You may seek to educate others on issues they may not be aware of by talking about them on social media. Who knows, you might catch the interest of a would-be client or employer. Also, you can volunteer at small organisations. This is another easy way of acquiring job experiences.

Although money is a necessity, you may need to consider making other job applications with a relatively lower pay than you seek. This is subject to getting the job of your choice. While you are there, put in every effort that you can. Give the best impression, and act like the asset that you are.

Waiting can be destructive for your career plans. It leads to time wastage and can even hinder your getting a gainful employment. Click To Tweet

Additional tip…

You can follow these pages on social media: Africanbiohub and Jobbermannigeria. They often advertise job opportunities at several organisations.

And that’s all we have for you today. Do you have more employment guidelines? Please share them in the comments section. It would greatly help someone.

If you have questions, please drop them in the comment section or hello@lifegiva.com.

You can also read: Stand Out at Your Place of Work With These 7 Tips!

Written by Ndakara Kewve