Most people don’t know that 78 to 80% of today’s job market is hidden to the public. Many of these jobs go unfulfilled or filled by recruiting agencies, employee referrals or word of mouth networks. The other 20 (or so) % is where the majority of job seekers are experiencing a high rate of failure.
Let’s face it, your are truly looking at hundreds of people competing
for the same job, all in one market. How do you get over the hump?
How do you compete at a high level for that one job?
Understanding the hidden job market still doesn’t yield a fair shake
at gaining employment with a national unemployment rate over 9%. One
employer recently told me that for every 1 opening, they are
experiencing an overwhelming amount of resumes. Wow? How do you avoid
the infamous black hole of resume submittals and get to that 78% of
opportunities in your market? You need to have a strong Personal
Employability Brand!
Yes, we all have an employability brand that could determine how long you are employed or unemployed. Your personal employability brand
is one of the critical component to breaking down unemployment
barriers. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being most important), employability
brand ranks 4th amongst most successful professionals today.
Employability brands say:
- You are worth the opportunity. You’re hired!
- You won’t embarrass me.
- You are a professional who values his/her occupation.
- You will make the boss look good.
- I am comfortable with sending you to other influencing professionals.
- You represent the company very well.
- I’m proud to be associated with you.
The telecommunications industry is no longer the blue collar market
for professional workers. Technology has evolved in this field of work,
which means it has gotten more complex and requires advanced expertise,
even at the installation level. We are far beyond the days of having
three people to perform an infrastructure installation. Just 10 years
ago, you would have one technician to pull cable inside, one to connect
from outside and then one to network to the desktop. We are now in a
Lean Sigma era and it has a profound affect on every industry, including
telecommunications technicians seeking employment.
Today companies are reducing manpower and expecting technicians to be
well rounded technically, academically and professionally. That is why
Telecommunications Professional must have a solid “employability
brand”. This is like having a great report card, but it outlines who
you are and how everyone else perceives you. You “MUST” spend time
developing your employability brand as a technician, professional or
engineer. Your career sustainability depends upon a strong brand but it
doesn’t take a rocket scientist to build it. I have outlined some
quick tips that can help you begin to build your employability brand.
Work on these 10 areas and you will see your employability brand
increase in a short amount of time.
- Learn how to introduce yourself properly and professionally. Add value to your introduction by sharing your area of expertise. Stay away from one line title introductions.
- Volunteer for the roles that propose a strategic risk. Professionals who are not afraid of taking some calculated risk have a higher rate of success in a career lifecycle.
- Become a Subject Matter Expert (SME). Be “great” at something.
- Be noticed as the “Go to Tech”.
- Network through social media. Get on LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and other networking forums. Get noticed online.
- Join user groups and professional associations in your field.
- Look presentable at all times. Stay in shape and always carry a clean set of clothes (shirt, shoes and pants). Just because you work outside doesn’t mean you have to look like it all the time. Be prepared.
- Learn to network with people who can influence your career.
- Read everyday. Look for industry articles and get acclimated with your industry.
- Get a professional photo done. Professionals who are focused on their employability brand will spend a little money on getting a photo done by a professional photographer. You can go to a photo franchise and get a $20.00 specials for one sitting. Get it done. You’ll be thankful that you had it done.
About the author
Entrepreneur, author and executive with a
passion for people. Scott is the owner of APSi (www.apsicorp.com) and
serves as the President of SoComm Integrated Solutions
(www.gosocomm.com)