5 Easy Employability Tricks To Make You a Stand Out Candidate

The graduate job market is a harsh place.

Government figures back in 2015 showed that almost one in three of all graduates were not doing graduate or high-skilled jobs. With so many equally qualified students going up for the same jobs, experience is one thing and employability quite another.

In a social landscape where graduate employment is a rising issue, here are ten easy ways to make yourself more employable and stand out from the other applicants.

Develop new skills

Your degree is great and all that work experience meaningful, but why not try gaining qualifications in other areas? Developing additional skills to fill out your CV shows you took the initiative to build on your talents. It also saves employers from training you in areas they might otherwise have had to.

Take a first aid in the workplace course or professional development classes such as social media, computer skills, coding, marketing and PR. There are plenty to chose from and your university might even host these specialist classes. Some charge a fee while others are accessible through volunteering initiatives; speak to your careers advisor to find the best options for you.

Additionally, you can make yourself more attractive to employers by getting background checked. A DBS is sought after in many jobs, not just in the education industry; it can save an employer time as well as money.

Volunteer/work overseas

Working abroad is something many students hope to do at some point in their lives. Well, employers hope you will too!

Maggie Westgarth, head of employability at the University of the West of England, claims that “the number of new experiences that come from living in a different country and culture is extraordinary and can make a CV stand out from the crowd.” Someone who has spent time in another country will develop unique, transferable skills that are unlike most other candidates.

And let’s not forget to mention the personal growth and development that comes with travelling. So if you can, grab the chance of a work placement abroad.

Keep your resume up-to-date

Brush the dust off that resume on a regular basis.It’s much easier to keep updating your CV rather than creating a whole new one for an application. Of course, your resume needs to be tailored for whatever role you’re applying to, but this is made simpler if all your experience is available in one document.

Recruiter.com outlines some handy tips and best practices for a  modern-day resume:

• Make sure to include links to your social media profiles;
• Use your most up-to-date email address;
• Create a .pdf version for use in email — it looks much better than a Word document.

Advertise yourself

Whether you like it or not, having an excellent social media presence is beneficial for future employment. It’s an asset in the recruitment process to be able to sell yourself online. If you are savvy with your online platforms and can build a strong profile, you will greatly increase your chances of landing a job.

LinkedIn is your best friend when it comes to employment prospects. Even if you’re currently employed, you’ll be notified by recruiters in search of any prospective candidates that fit their criteria. Make sure you sell yourself well.

Broaden your horizons

Diversify your experience and think outside of the box! So many future journalists have bulletproof writing experience and that’s imperative. However, with an over-saturation of CVs outlining the same experience to stand out you’ll need expertise unlike all the others.

Make a mind map of all the components that make up your dream job and think about multiple ways you can develop these skills in a new and fresh way. For example, tutoring children develops your patience in pressurised situations – a skill relevant to a whole host of career paths.

Feeling unemployable? Put in the legwork and you’ll be well on the way to securing yourself a job.

Inspiring Interns is a recruitment agency specialising in all the internships and graduate jobs London has to offer.