Top Skills that Will Increase Your Chances of Getting Hired in 2019

Skills are some of your best ally to get your dream job. You need skills to be able to function optimally at your job, and before you employ, you should display some abilities to convince your potential employer that you have what it takes to take up that position. However, skills are not learnt overnight. You have to be deliberate about it and go through the process of learning and acquiring the skills. If you want to stand out in your field and make your CV attractive, you must be ready to pay the price of learning and validating your expertise. There are some skills you need to develop in order to increase your chances of getting hired in 2019. In this article, we will look at various skills that will distinguish you from the crowd and help you land your dream job.

Research an organization before your interview

When job seekers call for the interview, they get so excited and forget to do the needful things. It is crucial that you learn all you can about the organization that has called you for the interview. It goes beyond knowing the physical structure of the organization: you have to know about the product and services, organizational values, business ethics, and so on. The more you learn about the company, the more you will develop capacity to have a meaningful and rich discussion with them during your interview. By the way, hiring managers like well-informed candidates.

Craft an excellent career narrative

You must develop the skills needed to sell yourself. The content of your narrative must be so convincing that a potential employer will find it hard to refuse you at the end of the interview. Learn how to craft your professional story and tie it to the organization that has called you for the interview. Your skills and expertise are not so attractive if they don’t blend into the need of the organization that wants to employ you. It is essential that you learn how to develop an elevator pitch that will stand you out of other potential candidates for the job.

Use your networks

If you check your contacts, you can be sure that you will find someone that knows someone in the organization you are prospecting. You need to use this contact. Your skills, experience, well crafted elevator pitch, and an extensive knowledge of a company are very important, but you need to get your foot in the organization’s door first before all these can be useful. The best way you can get your foot in is to use your network to find someone working in this organization. When you find an associate you can liaise with, request to have a meeting with him/her and have an informational kind of interview. This will offer you a good perspective of the organization from an insider’s point of view. Before you attend this meeting, ensure you highlight all concerns and issues you need to be addressed and also prepare a comprehensive report of what you have learnt about the organization so that you can ask for clarifications from your contact. This will equip you with comprehensive knowledge of the organization and prepare you for the real interview.

Customize your application

Do not send general applications to organizations. Customize your application and address all the requirements of the organization in your resume. There is no one-size-fits-all resume for all companies. You should tailor your application to fit into the job role you are applying for and highlight the strong points that make you the best candidate for the job. In addition to this, you need to have an exceptional introductory letter. You don’t have to write a lengthy introduction letter; all you need is a clear, concise, and well-formatted letter. Don’t use high sounding words and check for your spellings and grammatical construction. You would not want to make a wrong first impression on your potential employer.

Demonstrate willingness to learn new things

Nobody expects you to know everything about your position and job functions. However, you must be able to demonstrate to your potential employer your willingness to learn. Well, you don’t just say this with the words of your mouth, you should have evidence that you are an ardent learner. You must be able to provide proof of training courses, certifications, and classes you have attended in a bid to develop your capacity in the past. You don’t have to enroll for the most expensive training, you can take up various free courses or pay tokens to take courses online.

Demonstrate communication and networking skills

You need to have flawless communication skills. The ability to correspond effortlessly with the hiring manager will be a great advantage for you. Before attending the interview, ensure you develop the capability sell convincingly an innovative idea that will have significant positive impact on the organization. This will definitely get you noticed. Many hiring managers ask open ended questions in a bid to see how good you are at successfully expressing your views and opinions about a topic.

Understand digital and social media marketing

You don’t necessarily have to be an expert digital or social media marketer but you need to have some level of capacity with web based system administration and contemporary promotional ability. This will validate your capability to learn and adopt new aptitudes, as well as keep up-to-date with the latest technology and mechanical development. Understanding substance administration, upsides of social media, and setting up profiles with having a level of digital marketing expertise will make a lot of difference in your job search in this new year.

Be creative

Creativity and innovation are top on the list of skills that hiring managers look out for. Businesses are constantly evolving, and business owners need employees that can adapt to changes very fast. You need to be creative and innovative, and be able to apply your creativity to your roles in the organization. It will be useful, especially in the areas of job you are applying for. You cannot afford to do things the same way. Get out of your comfort zone and learn new things that will make you better at your job role.

Use problem solving skills

The hiring managers prefer those employees who can use initiative to solve problems without waiting for their superior to do it for them. At the point of your interview, you should highlight how you handled critical issues in your previous jobs and the outcome of such actions. You must be able to engage critical thinking in your role. The fact is that the employers do not work with those employees who need to be supervised at every step. You have to be able to take initiative and be on top of your game. Every business wants a contributor and not someone they have to baby-sit at their job role.

Demonstrate your ability to adapt to changes

Organizations require those professionals who can get out of their comfort zone and customary range of familiarity to move into a new world of advancement and development. The ability to adapt quickly to changes in a company is important when you desire to get a new job. You should be able to present your potential employers with instances that you have had to adjust for the betterment of your organization.

Summary

Big organizations rely on data. Each step taken by them is informed by the information gathered from data analysis. From taking learnings from past marketing campaigns to planning future launches, all depend on the insights assembled from data. If you desire to get a job in such organization in 2019, you must learn data analysis. The ability to break down clusters of big data and provide significant insights that will move a business forward is a skill that is much in demand in organization. Enterprises are information driven, and employees must have the skills needed to translate data into insights and actionable information. You need to develop this skill if you really want to attain your desired role in 2019.

Skills are very critical to your ability to tap into career opportunities in 2019. You have to go out of your way to learn new skills. Of course, having certifications and formal training is important to your success at getting a high paying position, but you should also not forget soft skills that are needed on a daily basis to maintain your job. Develop these abilities and prepare to take advantage of the opportunities that will be presented to you in 2019.