UNUSUAL WAYS TO GAIN EXTRAORDINARY WORKPLACE SKILLS
Big business is looking for
smart people with work experience.
It then becomes a chicken or egg dilemma. You ask yourself, how can I get
business experience if I am not hired? The good news is there are ways you can
practice workplace skills and evidence these in your CV without formal
employment in your career history. In an overcrowded job market, you can create
a better version of yourself in a non-traditional way. My advice is you get
cracking, long before you embark on your job-hunting journey
Let’s consider some of the
skills you can practice and how, where and when you can acquire this
experience without a “real job”.
The top 9 skills recruiters
look for:
How, where and when? These
are just some of the ways to showcase your skills, that are ripe for the
picking.
• Leverage your studies:
Aside from your valuable learnings, seek out group projects, thesis studies and
speciality courses. Look for further free online learning opportunities aligned
to the job of your dreams.
• Volunteer: Aside from volunteer work affording you deep meaning and purpose,
volunteering can demonstrate your willingness to go the extra mile. It can
offer you strength in teamwork. It demonstrates your ability to collaborate and
evidences your aptitude to empathise. Volunteer in areas that are close to your
future field of work. This could involve the recruitment of volunteers, planning a
fundraiser, amongst other things.
• Get part-time work: There is nothing quite like showing a future employer
your willingness to get your hands dirty. Recruiters are impressed by people
who are not afraid to tackle less than rosy jobs.
• Start your own business: There is no doubt, starting your own business is not
for the faint-hearted. Starting your own business will demonstrate your
entrepreneurial spirit, financial management skills, customer excellence
competence, marketing and sales capability, resilience, decision making,
problem-solving and leadership proficiency.
• Join a club: Align your club activity to your desired future roles. If you
wish to pursue a career aligned to financial management, volunteer to be the
Treasurer. If you wish to pursue a marketing career, volunteer to promote
membership or secure sponsorship funding. If you aspire to be a leader, put
yourself forward as club president. Perhaps you want to showcase your writing
skills, elect to write the monthly newsletter.
• Find a mentor: Often this stares us right in the face. You no doubt, have a
family member, friend or friend of our family, who is respected in the formal
job sector or in their successful entrepreneurial endeavours. Pick someone
whose experience is aligned with your future career path. Make this person your
best friend. Hang-out with them. Listen and learn.
• Become a “social butterfly”. Be prolific and profound. This will demonstrate
your social media savvy and relevance for the job you apply for.
All these efforts will
evidence your strengths, ambition and willingness to go the extra mile. They
afford you the opportunity to test the waters and ensure your planned career
will fulfil your aspirations. Make sure you evidence these hard-earned skills
in a relevant way in your CV. It is widely accepted to have a category in your
CV called “Related Experience”.
Ensure these efforts show up in your social media profiles. Recruiters look in
unexpected places. It is time” to build “Brand You!” Keep a constant eye on how
you show up in social media. Hone your business skills and find a way you can
study and practice your management techniques simultaneously. The FPD Higher
Certificate in Management affords our students the flexibility of learning
whilst pursuing these far more practical real work experiences.
To find out more about the
FPD Business School Higher Certificate in Management CLICK HERE