4 WAYS TO MAKE YOURSELF STAND OUT IN THE CROWDED JOB MARKET

Saurabh Tyagi

Saurabh  is a blogger and a professional career author with proven expertise in writing for topics related to jobs, job trends, different job opportunities, various workplace and industry information, tips and strategies for job seekers. He wrote from India.

With the world economy still far from stabilizing, new job opportunities have become a limited commodity. To gain an edge over the fierce competition, one must work twice as hard. However, this is what we are taught right from our pre-nursery days till the end of our university education: Work hard and you will succeed. And yet some of us never seem to reach the heights where we would like to be. Naturally, the next question that arises is, “Is hard work the sure shot way to success.”?

It’s a cocktail of hard work and smart work

You must have heard it a dozen times before. Don’t be an ass, be a smart ass. It implies that instead of working hard and putting long hours at work, you need to learn smart ways of working, so as to achieve maximum productivity. However, the real solution to working hard vs. working smart conundrum is not making a choice between the two but doing both. For, working smart may be important but no successful entrepreneur will ever tell you that it can substitute the extra hours that you put to work while others sleep. Smart work will save you a lot of time, but until that saved times is put to optimal use, the end purpose won’t be served.

Act like an entrepreneur

Everyone dreams to have his own company. Frankly speaking, there are very rare of the human species who wants to work for others. However, a huge majority ends up working for some company and that’s the whole point of a job search. But can’t a person possess an entrepreneurial spirit while working for some other entrepreneur? If you can prove you have the ability to think out of the box, come up with solutions at the go and help create new and better processes for your role, you will surely become the person most looked up to wherever you go, whether it is an interview or a simple group discussion.

Prove yourself

Rather than just sending out resumes in random directions, think of the ways you can prove your value to a prospective employer. Steps like setting up your own website or blog to showcase your expertise, experience or achievements is definitely a good idea. In other words, advertise your skills along with proofs and recruiters are surely going to take note of you. In interviews, showcase how your skills have helped solving real life problems and how closely they match with the recruiter’s requirements.

Be confident

Whenever you deal with a prospective employer, try to achieve a firm balance of confidence and a can-do attitude with humility and desire to learn. With good jobs in limited quantity, the recruiter will always have an upper hand. The recruiter will rattle you with tough interview questions. Your confidence and morale will be tested, and it will be entirely on you to pass it with flying colors or end up with disappointment. If you are convinced of your ability and aptitude for a particular role, you must communicate it to the recruiter.

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