How to Make Yourself an In-Demand Candidate in the Job Market

“The only thing constant in life is change.” This is an oft-used quote but how true it is! The crux of this is that everyone should get this fact imprinted in their minds. More particularly, job aspirants who are looking to begin their career on a strong footing should understand it and change their ways accordingly. The pain you, as a job aspirant, may experience when your candidature is rejected by employers can certainly be vexatious. But if you adopt a few steps and be willing to change according to the circumstances, you will not face such rejections. On top of it, you can land a job more quickly as well. Let us find out the steps you must adopt.

1. The job market has never been more alive and hence, you must keep taking persistent action.

Cynics may say that there are no jobs. You should not blindly endorse their view because this is complete misinformation that is worthy of being dumped into the dustbin. In reality, the job market is very much alive for those who possess real skills. Companies are ready to hire such people and pay them heftily also. This means your primary focus must be to constantly improve your skills. Improving skills can not be a one-time affair. You should constantly finetune and update your skills. Otherwise, you may soon become a misfit in the job market.

2. Certain sectors are growing faster than in other industries. Therefore, choose a fast-growing field.

Thanks to the population explosion, demand in almost all the industries is on the rise. But certain sectors are witnessing more growth than other fields. There is sufficient evidence to prove this. To quote an example, the growth in the E-commerce field is beyond imagination. In 2014, the quantum of retail sales on e-commerce platforms was $1.3 trillion. In 2021, the figures are expected to go up to $4.9 trillion. This shows that there is a paradigm shift in the perception of people. In fact, the way people buy the goods they need has undergone a complete transformation. So, if you hone your skills in digital marketing or selling, you stand a bright chance in landing a very good job in this field.

3. Become an idea machine. 

Not all people have the gift of creating new ideas. If you possess such a creative ability, you can become an idea machine. There are several companies that are looking for great ideas. For example, if you sit before the television and closely watch the advertisements, you will find that there is a complete dearth of ideas. Almost all the advertisements, barring a few, are dull. In fact, most of the advertisements do not have relevance to the products or services that the companies are trying to sell. In this context, if you have the gift of creativity, you can command very high remuneration for the ideas you provide to these companies. You and your employers can develop a participatory relationship as well. 

Even if you are not willing to work in this field, you can be useful to the employers who hire you. Whenever tasks are entrusted to you, you should delve deep to find out the various ways of carrying them out. Remember that there can be different ways of doing a task. You should choose the most efficient and cost-effective idea. By displaying such an insightful approach, you can prove your worth to your employers.  

4. Distances are not at all an impediment. So, be ready to shift base.

Earlier, people were hesitant to move out of their places. But thanks to the connectivity and transportation facilities that are available now, you can relocate to other parts of your country or even to the other hemisphere of the globe. In other words, you must be willing to shift base, if there is a necessity.  

5. Become a magnet.

How can you become a magnet so that companies will flock to you seeking your services? Of course, this is easier said than done. You have to constantly strive and improve your skills. There should never be any let-up in this aspect. You must be proactively active and keep taking all the required steps for attracting employers. 

6. Be focused.

Never lose your focus. Pick a particular field and keep working constantly to hone your skills in the field.

If you implement these steps, you will land a fabulous job very soon.

Do You Want to Advance in Your Life or Career? Adopt These Habits.

If you think that you have to be very smart and highly talented, and should work very hard for long hours for succeeding in your life or career, you can not be more wrong. In fact, some of the millionaires throughout the world are not smart and do not possess huge talents at all. Nor do they work for long hours. But what factors have helped them achieve the success you are struggling to achieve?

According to a study, those who have seen huge success in their lives have certain traits in common. So, if you cultivate these habits, you can increase the chances of your success significantly. Let us find out more about these habits.

1. Successful people always ensure to plan ahead.

If you observe successful people, you will find that they plan ahead. They not only plan their daily tasks but plan ahead for the coming weeks as well. Some of them plan for the coming months also. By planning ahead, they prevent hurdles such as temptations and distractions. For example, if a millionaire has planned to visit the manufacturing facility she owns in another town, she will not allow other tasks, temptations, or distractions to supersede her plan. 

Planning is necessary because it will help in reaching the destination you have chosen. Without a plan, your life will be chaotic and you will not know where you are heading.

2. They know their strength and focus on it.

Successful people know their strengths and focus only on them. Remember that one can not be an expert in everything. It is the same with successful people as well. That is the reason they do not try to do everything themselves. They will delegate other tasks to those who have skills in them.  If a person keeps on changing her area of strength, she can never acquire skills in any area. So, you should also try to find your area of strength and focus on it. If you acquire the appropriate skills in that particular area, it will go a long way in helping you advance in your life or career. 

3. They know their magic hours and use those hours optimally.

That every person is different and unique is an undeniable fact. Some people can bring out the maximum output during the morning hours. A few others are "nocturnal birds" and they will be highly productive during nights. Successful people find out what their magic hours are and try to do the maximum during those hours. You must also find your magic hours and use those hours optimally and purposefully. Especially, if your ambition is to grow in your career, you should choose these hours for acquiring the required knowledge or skills.

4. Successful people are highly decisive.

Successful people never delay their decisions if they have all the information they need. Once they make their decisions, they do not vacillate also. At the same time, they are never after "perfect" decisions. They are aware that no decision can be perfect. They also know that decisions can be changed or improved upon as they move along. On the other hand, those who are not able to achieve quick success in their life always vacillate. Once, when asked how he was able to make quick decisions, Colin Powell, former Secretary of State of the USA, said that he always followed the 40/70 rule. If he had only 40% of the required information, he would do further study or would ask for more information before making a decision. But if he had 70% of the information he required, he would go ahead and make a decision. 

5. Successful people control their environment.

The most important factor that helps successful people in their accomplishments is that they do not allow the environment to control them. To elaborate on this, they do not allow negative-minded people or those who can distract or discourage them to control their time or work. As a person with ambitions, you should control your environment also and keep away from such "bad" elements.

By imbibing these habits and putting them to practice, you can accomplish great feats. You can achieve stupendous success in your career or life also.

How to Beat the Competition on the Career Front

If you think that experts are exaggerating the competition on the career front, you are fooling yourself. In fact, they are passing on a blunt message and nothing can be more true than it. Due to such competition, every job aspirant or every employee who wishes to grow in his or her career is facing uncertain times. So, if job aspirants and those who aspire to grow in their career take inadequate steps, they may have to endure long waits. Let us now look at some of the steps these folks have to take to beat the prevailing competition.

1. Never stop taking action.

Just because there is acute competition, some people may become victims of "the devil of inertia," the hyperbolic name experts have given to inaction. But by not taking any purposeful action, these job aspirants or employees will become their own enemies. They will ultimately remain in the same spot where they have begun. 

The points that are being emphasized here are underestimating the competition is an unwise mistake and allowing "action paralysis" to creep in is a greater blunder. The main result of these mistakes is they will rob their courage. So, these folks should keep focusing on those things they can control. They must not waste their energy and time on things that are not under their control. Their focus should only be on finding the right resources that will strengthen their position. 

At the same time, they should be flexible enough in their pursuit as well. By this, it is meant that in the tough times that are prevalent now, these folks cannot dictate terms. They should grab opportunities that come their way. Once they land jobs, they can relentlessly push themselves forward for improving themselves and climbing the career ladder.

2. Have an “Opti-Realistic” attitude. 

If you are a job aspirant or an employee who wishes for speedy career growth, there is no doubt that you should be optimistic. But at the same time, you should be realistic as well. The prevailing competition may be hitting you hard. You should, therefore, NOT ignore the competition that is threatening you. The foremost step you should take is to double your preparations. Look for resources that will improve your knowledge and creativity and use them to the optimum. 

3. Study, study, study and keep studying.

Keep studying on a continuous basis and improving your skills. Such skills will help you land jobs or grow in your career. Such skills will help you also in adding value to the organization that has hired you. Never forget the fact that the management has a thousand eyes and ears. Hence, the top managers will certainly come to know your skills very soon.

4. Keep expanding your network. 

You should aggressively keep expanding your network. Your network will help you a lot because you can tap influential people in the network for landing jobs. Ensure to stay connected with them in the right manner. At the same time, do not be selfish. Try to offer whatever little help you can to everyone in your network. Even a sincere compliment or a word of praise to their actions will go a long way in helping you land a suitable job.

Habits You Should Get Rid Of For Climbing Your Career Ladder

If you think that the habits you have are ingrained ones and you can not get rid of them, you are deceiving yourself. Especially, if these habits are so toxic that they do not allow you to grow in your career, you should dispense with them forthwith. Maybe your habits are very strong but if you do not break them, they may become harder and it may become more difficult for you to get rid of them.

There is another issue as well. There are people who are emotionally attached to their negative habits. In fact, these people are stuck in these habits because these habits bring them some type of short-term comfort. For example, those who are addicted to apps such as Whatsapp, etc. or to watching the television incessantly may get comfort in the short term but these habits may bring them unimaginably huge losses in the long term. Unfortunately, these folks defend their habits. They do not realize that they are moving away from the process of breaking them. This means that unless they admit their mistakes, they cannot get rid of their toxic habits. Let us now look into those habits that will not allow you to climb your career ladder.

1. Stop daydreaming; Start taking action. 

You may have been working in a particular field for the last several years. But this does not bestow on you the privilege of getting promotions. Remember that it is a dangerous ignorance if you have an expectation based on your bias. The question is: Have you been taking steps to improve yourself? Have you acquired enough knowledge to make your management think that you are fit to be promoted? If you have not acquired enough knowledge and if you keep daydreaming that you will become another Bill Gates, you will continue to remain in the same spot. It is true that nothing can be more delicious than daydreaming. But if you want to climb the career ladder, stop daydreaming and start acquiring more and more knowledge. Develop an innovative mindset and come out with great suggestions that can lift your company's fortunes or that can save a lot for the organization for which you are working. Knowledge and knowledge alone will make your management consider you for higher positions. 

2. Is there any use of whining or worrying?

If you are a person who hits the panic button quite often, you should understand that this can be a big impediment to your career growth. How can you bring out the best output when you whine and worry about anything and everything? Let us assume that your management decides to promote someone else instead of promoting you, though you and everyone else in your organization know that you are more capable and qualified than the other person. You may start whining that you will be working under someone who is less knowledgeable, less capable, and less experienced than you.

There are only two ways to tackle this situation. You can put in your papers and walk out. But you cannot be certain of landing a job that will satisfy you fully. Another way is to accept reality and work so sincerely, of course, without whining or worrying, that the management cannot ignore your ability and the quality of your output. In such a situation, they cannot refuse a promotion to you. 

 

Never forget the fact that things may not work out the way you think. Reality has a strange trait. It may quite often collide with expectations. So, there is no point in worrying or whining. When unpalatable things happen, try and find out how you should get over them instead of crumbling. The wise words written in the book "Consolations of Philosophy," authored by Alain de Botton, are worth remembering. The author writes like this: "Though the terrain of frustration may be vast — from a stubbed toe to an untimely death — at the heart of every frustration lies a basic structure: the collision of a wish with an unyielding reality.

The collisions begin in earliest infancy, with the discovery that the sources of our satisfaction lie beyond our control and that the world does not reliably conform to our desires."

3. Never be pessimistic.

Nothing in life is worthy of assuming that the world is coming to an end. Things may look bad now but they can get better at any time. You may say that they may get worse also. But if you always keep adopting such a doomsday mindset, you will be accelerating the worsening process. You should, therefore, be resilient in your approach and move ahead. When bad things happen, use them as a tremendous opportunity to improve yourself, instead of adopting a pessimistic attitude. 

If you get rid of these toxic habits, you can certainly fast-track your career growth.