I recently had a conversation with Sara Tadiwos, a Certified Global Career Development Facilitator, talking about various workforce and career development topics. One of topics we raised was, How does one stay relevant and/or marketable? As we shared our personal experiences to staying relevant, we decided to write and share them with our job seekers and others who would like stay in demand in their field. Whether you are currently working or seeking for new opportunities, the following SIX key elements can keep one on top of her/his career game: –
- Stay current – in any occupation, it is always important to equip oneself with recent, up to date and current trends of your field. It will help you navigate around the tasks assigned and exceed expectations in any position you will be exposed to. It is significant to develop new skills and enhance your knowledge by taking a class or a professional development course that will open doors to a new and more fulfilling career path. You can also remain current with your industry trends through reading publications and relevant journals, on and off job trainings and even researching the Internet. Staying current is an important way to increase the value you represent to your current or potential employer.
- Be adaptable and flexible: In the constantly evolving job market, keeping an open mind and remaining flexible and adaptable will open a world of additional career opportunities. The more you integrate and expose yourself to various occasions in the organization, the more opportunities come knocking at your door. Afterwards, it is all up to you to open the door to enjoy the fruits of your labour. The more reserved you stay, the less chances for you to be noticed, and for your skills to be known by your colleagues and supervisors.
- Be a Tech-Savvy: Tech-talks is the language of the time. It is always an asset to be technologically savvy. It is obvious that technology enables employees/organizations to perform their duties more efficiently. Keep yourself updated on the latest advancements in your chosen field of work. Don’t underestimate the power and contribution of skills you may not even consider worthy. Those technical skills will become helpful in your profile building. This reminds me of a situation I found myself in, as an interviewee for a position in one of the international organizations few years ago – the panel asked how I am when it comes to IT? The name as loaded as it sounds frightened me, as I only associated it with the nitty-gritties of software development. I answered NO, not proudly but not that concerned since the job am being interviewed for, I assumed, doesn’t need any of it. The person who asked the question smiled and said ‘well I take your answer for it, but we also want to know if you know how to send and receive emails, do word processing and PowerPoint presentations and etc… among others’. Of course, I said, but was too late. Well beyond they asked, I have some technical knowledge of Photoshop, audio editing and all… missed my chance of stating all that, only because first I never considered them as standalone skills to talk about. Therefore, having those and more skills, and the awareness that we have them, and utilizing them properly, no matter how high you are in the organizational ladder is imperative.
- Give your job your all – giving 100% to your current job that helps you perform well. This is my personal favourite, and I adhere to it. Most people say that, because they rarely like their job, they don’t perform well. Which is, for me, outrageously sad. Because, so long as you are putting your energy and time into it, what you do should be worth it – while you are at it. Not having other option can’t be an excuse for a mediocre performance – because giving it all pays off. Not only in having good references when you get your dream job, but also (you can call me superstitious) – What goes around, comes around. And most importantly, someone is watching – besides being true to yourself.
- Be innovative and creative- having enentrepreneurial mindsets helps you become more innovative and creative in work character. Regardless of the type of industry you are in, thinking and acting as an insider in an innovative and creative way to better the organization will often lead you to opportunities.
- Know the trend in your professional path – is your profession growing, or declining? If the later, need to make sure to acquire additional skills and even change of profession in good time, to have the required transition.
The above list by no means is inclusive. A good resource and information source to staying connected is ethiojobs blog/social media sites, which will provide you with pointers and advices about your career development. Check out our newly launched courses page on http://www.ethiojobs.net/courses/.
Please share with us your personal favourite, add more to the list and let us talk about it!
Source : Ethiojobs