IRELAND IS OFFICIALLY out of its unemployment crisis, with jobless rates hitting a nine-year low of 6.3% in June of this year, according to the Central Statistics Office.
While that’s great news for job-hunters, it’s certainly not licence to sit back and take it easy. With workplace experience easier to come by than a few years back, it’ll take more than the basic skills to make yourself stand out – whether you’re looking for a job or chasing a promotion.
There’s plenty you can do on a micro-level to boost your chances of getting ahead. Here’s where to start…
You don’t need to be a CEO to lead people effectively and build teams. So be the one to rally those around you, even if you’re not their superior. In meetings, ask “How are we going to make this happen?” or “When should we aim to have this done by?”
As leadership expert Roselinde Torres said in her 2013 TED Talk, “Great leaders are not head-down. They see around corners, shaping their future, not just reacting to it.”
If you’re trying to get your foot in the door at a new company, your CV is far more likely to end up in the Yes pile if you’re a familiar face. So before applying for any role, send an email introduction, make a request to meet for coffee, or ask for a recommendation if you know someone working at the company.
Creative thought is key to long-term business success, but as business psychologist Art Markman emphasises, it doesn’t come naturally for everyone. It’s a skill that must be practiced:
If you are the kind of person who often avoids thinking in favour of other activities, add a little more time to your day where you focus on learning something new.
The New York Times Rule – the suggestion that you should never do or write something you wouldn’t want to see printed in detail on the front page of a newspaper – is a long-standing rule of thumb in business ethics. It’s just as relevant in the digital age too, and you should consider your social media profiles and online presence as an extension of your CV.
If someone asked you to describe yourself in three lines – or three words – would you have a response? In career terms, a personal brand is just as important as a business brand. Learn to sell yourself and identify your unique skills, be it that you’re a genius coder or an Excel spreadsheet powerhouse. Don’t just mull on it – write down your “pitch” and memorise it.
Speaking in his commencement address in May 2017, Mark Zuckerberg reflected on the idea of purpose at work:
[It] is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness.
That might be a romantic view of things, but the sentiment rings true: know where your work fits in with everyone else’s.
You don’t need to make like Apple’s Tim Cook and wake up at 3.45am every morning, but putting in hard graft will always stand to you down the line. That might mean spending a few hours crafting your cover letter for a job application, or staying late in the office to get a project over the line. Whatever it is that calls for some above-and-beyond behaviour, view it as an opportunity, not a chore.
Knowing where you want to go – and how you’ll get there – is important for various reasons. One, it helps you to define your own goals and make wiser career decisions. Two, if you’re already in a role, it makes it easier to communicate with your employer about what supports you need and what you’d both like your next step to be.
One seriously smart way to get ahead? Enrolling in a postgraduate course at Griffith College. You’ll learn new skills, stand out from the crowd and prove your commitment and dedication to prospective employers. Find out more about Griffith College’s wide range of postgraduate courses in Dublin, Cork and Limerick here, or by emailing admissions@griffith.ie.
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