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5 ways to enhance your employability

NigelNSmith by NigelNSmith

About the current employment market

The sad truth about the current employment market is that there are many more people looking for jobs than there are vacancies. In the UK, one in every five 16- to 24-year-olds is jobless and searching for work, in a country where five unemployed people apply for every vacancy.

While the facts may seem a little depressing, all it means is that candidates must work just that little bit harder to make sure they stand out from the crowd.

Business English

Candidates for whom English is a second language will benefit from enrolling on a business English course, even if they consider themselves to be relatively fluent. The vocabulary of the workplace is vastly different to that used in everyday speech. Candidates who understand this will inevitably prosper over those who don't.

According to Frances O'Grady, the TUC deputy general secretary, 'Being able to speak and understand English is crucial if workers are to get on in their jobs and in their communities. Employees with a good command of English are also less likely to be exploited by rogue employers.'

The content of business English courses typically aims to help students become confident in making commercial presentations, carrying out negotiations, composing emails, participating in meetings and using the telephone.

Online presence

Online presence is important

More and more recruiters use the internet to find suitable candidates. It stands to reason that those who already have an online presence automatically improve their chances of gaining employment.

Dan Schawbel, writing in Forbes magazine, says that an online presence should 'consist of your own website at yourfullname.com'. He also says that it should 'contain social network profiles, with vanity URLs, on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter at a minimum'.

Foreign languages

Business and foreign languagesMore than 6,000 different languages are spoken in the world. As we become ever more interconnected, the ability to speak two or more of these can greatly enhance our employment prospects.

According to research by the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, 86% of people say a second language would be beneficial to achieving their future career aspirations.

The French, Mandarin or English courses London language schools offer allow you to do something about this. For those who don't live near a major city, some providers offer correspondence courses.

In your opinion...

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Blogging

BloggingBlogging has long been recognised as a way for people to express their passion about a topic.

The fact that they're unpaid and require regular updating shows a certain commitment to the subject under discussion - something that is valued by potential employers.

Being tech-savvy

The Guardian estimates that 90% of UK jobs require some level of IT competency. Candidates with a demonstrable digital literacy are therefore far more employable than those who require training.

Resource box

Bdaily Business Network
Article by Newcastle Business School lecturer on improving employability.
University of Kent
Useful tool for analysing the skills needed for employment.
Local Government Improvement and Development
Overview on improving an individual's potential for employment.

Guestbook

Do you have any additional advice or ideas for those who are in the search of a job?

Please, share your tips or experience with us!

  • Andrea Feb 7, 2012 @ 12:36 pm | delete
    Meeting all the requirements to fill a position is a complex matter. Some candidates won't succeed in spite of meeting all the requirements, because of personality or attitude issues. Candidates should be conteplated integrally, not only regarding their technical skill but their character.
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