10 DIY Tips to Increase Your Employability

@HolyMoleyJobs holymoley DY. SOS There's no denying the job hunt can be a demoralising gauntlet. The trick is to view it as an opportunity for personal development. Get empowered, grab the mole by the claws and take employability back into your own hands. To that end we've come up with ten DIY projects to increase your skill set, renovate your headspace and help get that career ball rolling... DIGGING THROUGH JOBS FOR YOU Step-up yOur Skills 10 DIY Tips to Inrease your Employability 1. Check the foundations Before you start constructing a brand spanking multi-skilled you it's worth taking stock of what you've already got. Employers want a candidate who knows exactly what they have to offer. A little self-evaluation can help you identify personal strengths and enable you to better communicate them. Don't sell yourself short by ignoring important soft and transferable skills such as: communication; teamwork; initiative and organisation. (Honey and Mumford's learning styles are a great reference) 2. Do your research Make it your business to know everything about the industry you want to go into. This may seem obvious or even simple, but it's probably more involved than you think. Are there any podcasts or publications you can follow? Find out about the biggest employers: What do they do? How do they do it? What are the main issues in the field and what are the main skills, software and processes involved? There's a tonne of information out there; half the battle is knowing where to look. 3. Project Management The ability to organise, prioritise and ensure stuff gets done is a highly valuable asset in any career. Having an understanding of project management can also improve your leadership skills and the ability to work in a team. If you're not sure where to start, here's a compilation of highly recommended books: 4. Digital Skills Be honest with yourself: Can you actually touch type? Do you really know how to use spreadsheets properly, and can you remember anything about databases or mail merging? With such a vast resource like the internet at your finger tips you can teach yourself all of these things free of charge. If you're looking to work in media or marketing, getting to grips with blogging and social media in a professional capacity could be a big bonus: spend some time studying search engine optimisation and social media analytics. All of these are CV worthy skills. http://bit.ly/130z4Sc. It's also worth exploring the use of Gantt charts to help you schedule and prioritise tasks. 5. Foreign Languages Although you may not become fluent, it is more than possible to develop a functional word bank which 6. First Aid could be invaluable in Every workplace has to have a health and safety person. By learning first aid you can add a valuable life skill to your CV. Not only that, but your potentially saving an employer the money and time required to train up a first aider which can only improve your prospects of being hired when it comes down to the wire. St John's Ambulance is of course a industries that require travel or have international relations (which is basically all of them). Look up global hot spots for your desired profession and surmise which languages could be the most advantageous. There are also some great apps out there to help! great way to start. 7. Software and coding Try taking on some of the software associated with your dream job: Graphics packages? (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop or if you're on a budget GIMP); Video and sound editing? (Audacity is a nice place to start) CAD? (Solidworks or Mathcad). Coding is also a powerful skill both in applications like web design and in building programmes to make calculations and processes more efficient. There's a tonne of material on C++, HTML and other useful languages online. 8. Volunteering Volunteering doesn't just mean helping out at the local charity shop. There could be plenty of ways of putting your professional discipline to good use within the community. Maybe a local group needs a simple website designed. If you're a teacher you could help with extracurricular activities. There's coaching, counselling and tonnes of other things underfunded groups are likely to need help with. Simply put: unpaid experience is better than no experience. 9. Networking How often have you been told "It's not what you know yada yada..." Whether it's peers looking for the same thing or people already working in the industry, there are things to be learned and gained from everyone. Try following people with the same aims on twitter or entering discussions on online forums. Look out for industry events or public meetings. The bottom line is if you can find a community who want/have the same things as you professionally sooner or later they'll help make things happen. 10. Make the most out of every situation Life's what you make it, every cloud has a silver lining and every cliché is a cliché for a reason. When you get an interview think about what you could learn: Maybe you can get some advice from the interviewer; they could tell you about an information source you didn't know, or maybe give a tip on your application. Ultimately a can-do attitude and plenty of motivation is going to be your biggest asset in the quest for employment.